SPEAK OUT SENIORS

Gov. Gavin Newsom has put forward Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment on the November 4, 2025 special election ballot, aiming to temporarily override California’s independent redistricting process in favor of a legislature-drawn map crafted to favor Democrats. This move is a direct response to Republican-led gerrymandering in Texas, which is expected to shift five U.S. House seats toward the GOP without public input. 

Advocates argue it’s necessary to “fight fire with fire,” asserting that California must counterbalance undemocratic maps drawn elsewhere. The Nov. 4, 2025 ballot measure for California would:

• Fight fire with fire: Proposition 50 evens the playing field & prevents Republicans from rigging elections.

• Empower voters: this gives Californians an ability to fight back against Trump's power grab.

•  Potential gains: gives Democrats a chance to gain additional seats in the U.S. House.

• Restore: the Independent Redistricting Commission after the 2030 election with the new maps due in 2031 after the next census.
  

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

DONATE 

• Gavin Newsom's Rigging Response: 
• https://secure.actblue.com/donate/erra-ads 

• California Donor Table: They will support grassroots groups around the state to educate their communities https://californiadonortable.org/

• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC, https://dlcc.org/ ). The DLCC focuses on state level elections.  It has responded to the Republican redistricting threat aggressively. It is leading the campaign to get Democratic-led legislatures to begin their own redistricting efforts.

CALL, WRITE, E-MAIL

Your CA State Legislators asking them to support Gov Newsom’s measure.   

• Our State Senator is Josh Becker.
• Phone: (650) 233-2724
• Email: senator.becker@senate.ca.gov
• Website: https://sd13.senate.ca.gov

• Our State Assemblyman is Marc Berman
• Phone: (650) 324-0224
• Email: assemblymember.berman@assembly.ca.gov
• Website: https://a23.asmdc.org

 The League of Women Voters of California will not take a position on Proposition 50.

You may have received a mailer from "Protect Voters First" about the redistricting ballot initiative this November. By naming our organization and quoting Gloria Chun Hoo, the mailer wrongly implies that the League of Women Voters of California is part of their coalition and endorses the information contained in the flyer that is against proposition 50.

This implication is not correct-we are not part of that coalition. The League of Women Voters of California did not authorize this action. 

The mailer was financed by billionaire Charles Munger, Jr, a prominent Republican who wants to keep the House under the power of Trump.

There are 7 members on the PA supreme court. Currently the balance is in favor of the Democrats 5-2. Three of the Democratic members are up for a retention election this November. Winning these races means those members will have their tenure extended by 10 years. 

These PA judicial elections usually have very low turnout and are very vulnerable to a concerted Republican attack. Losing these races could mean having a Republican dominated PA supreme court for the 2028 election. That would be a disaster. Such a court would not be the bulwark against attacks on voter rights that will be sorely needed. 

The judges in this election are David N. Wecht, Kevin M. Dougherty and Christine Donohue. You can learn more and donate to their campaigns at https://davidwecht.com, http://retaindougherty.com, and http://donohue2025.com

Two organizations that are currently focusing on the PA 2025 election are Defend Our Courts and Alliance for Justice (membership@afj.org). 

We also recommend The Brennan Center for Justice. PA Justices spend more than $315,000 in contentious judicial retention races. In the face of politicized anti-retention efforts, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices used television advertisements to help keep their seats in what are generally considered low-key judicial retention races.You can use this URL to donate to them and to sign up for information updates. https://www.brennancenter.org 

There is reason right now to focus on the November 4, 2025 gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey. The Democratic candidates are Abigail Spanberger (VA) and Mikie Sherrill (NJ). Both are centrist Democrats currently serving in the US congress. Spanberger worked in Federal law enforcement and in the CIA. Sherrill, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a Navy helicopter pilot and a federal prosecutor. 

Both are strong advocates for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and lowering drug prices. These two races are important tests of Trump's power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Current polls show Spanberger 11% ahead in her race and Sherrill 5% ahead in hers. Each has a good chance to win the governorship, barring massive intervention by Trump and Republican mega donors.

You can learn more and donate at https://abigailspanberger.com/ and https://www.mikiesherrill.com/.

The Brennan Center for Justice is supporting these elections. Big donors are already making their mark on New Jersey and Virginia’s 2025 governors’ elections. New Jersey and Virginia will elect new governors, and each may have their most expensive election yet. You can donate to the Brennan center at  https://www.brennancenter.org

New York Times Petition

This summer, Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of Berkeley Law, co-chaired a project which resulted in publishing a full-page petition in the New York Times on July 4 titled, “We Hold These Truths”.  This is a carefully drafted statement of principles of American democracy. These were developed, debated and completed by a bipartisan group of about 20 thoughtful Americans.  

• Personal Freedoms: Upholding free speech, fair criminal justice, and personal autonomy.

• Equality: Guaranteeing equal rights and opportunities for every American, recognizing that freedom depends on equality for all.

• Democracy and Elections: Supporting accessible voting, honoring election results, and protecting the peaceful transfer of power.

• The Rule of Law: Limiting government power through equality before the law, due process, judicial independence, and accountability.

• Separation of Powers: Ensuring no branch of government exceeds its constitutional authority, preserving checks and balances.

Notable Americans—Stacey Abrams, Pete Buttigieg, Barbara Comstock, Sophia Bush, and Stuart Gerson, from across the political spectrum including judges, authors, actors, and everyday citizens, have joined to support and protect these truths. Join us. Share the truths. Stand for what’s right.

You can see the names of the authors and the resulting statement on their website: http://www.weholdtruths.org