By Its Fingernails…

The notion that what is happening at our federal government level mirrors Germany in 1933 is not far-fetched. The blatant intimidation and control of the media has happened. A personal presidential army of thugs created under the guise of border enforcement is in place. The guardrails of judicial restraint have been removed. Congress has been built to rubber-stamp whatever the president wants. And most of all, Trump has stated many times that he desires to stay in power and will do so at any cost to our democracy.

This story is about California State Senator John Laird’s plea for Proposition 50 and the critically important Latino community’s view of it.

“We have to fight fire with fire. This is an existential crisis for democracy and the rule of law,” Laird believes.

What’s on the ballot: Whether California should adopt the one-time congressional map through 2030 described by Prop. 50, then automatically revert to the state’s independent redistricting commission for future cycles.

Framing it as a defense of democracy and the Central Coast, State Senator John Laird urged voters to back the Proposition 50 November ballot measure, saying it’s a direct response to congressional map changes in Texas that tilt the playing field ahead of the 2026 congressional elections.

Addressing the Democratic Women’s Club of Santa Cruz County, Laird sketched a picture of an existential crisis for the region “getting hit hard by the current administration,” as Medicaid cuts threaten the viability of Watsonville Community Hospital, while promised federal dollars for the Pajaro levee project could also be at risk. Labor shortages tied to immigration enforcement are straining farms “that bring us food,” and the Central Coast’s agricultural sector “is endangered.” At the same time, the speaker argued, the nation is “walking away” from climate action, and potential federal reductions of “$4 to $5 billion” to the University of California research would ripple across local campuses and communities.

“Taken together, the Central Coast is really threatened,” Laird said. “Our only option is to make sure the U.S. House reflects where the people are on these issues.” That’s where Prop. 50 comes in.

What Prop 50 Would Do

Called the Election Rigging Response Act, Proposition 50 would adopt one-time congressional maps by statewide vote, to counter a partisan redistricting pushed by President Trump, to tilt the outcome of the 2026 congressional midterm election to the Republican Party. The measure would replace California’s current U.S. House districts with a new map, only through the 2030 election. It would keep the California Citizen Redistricting Commission intact for the State Assembly and State Senate and return congressional map-drawing to the commission after 2030. Laird also says that Prop 50 would prioritize keeping communities of color whole, that the ballot map aims to avoid splitting those communities.

Laird says the proposed map would create five new opportunities for Democrats, roughly offsetting changes elsewhere in the country. He points to the far northern district now held by a Republican, the Sierra foothills near Sacramento, southern San Joaquin County, the east of Riverside and northern San Diego County. Laird says the Central Coast would see minimal change. Districts represented by Congressmen Jimmy Panetta and Salud Carbajal would largely remain as they are, while Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s seat would trade a bit of San Jose for territory moving toward Coalinga.

Laird warns that without a California response, even a national Democratic edge of three percentage points in the popular vote could still produce a tied House. “We have to fight fire with fire, this is an existential crisis for democracy and the rule of law. Prop. 50 places a temporary congressional map before the voters through 2030 and then returns power to the citizen commission. It doesn’t touch state legislative maps. It’s about protecting good government, protecting the rule of law, and protecting the Central Coast from federal policies hurting our communities.”

Latinos: Economic and Immigration Anxiety, Prop 50 Uncertainty

The Latino vote is widely viewed as critical to the passage of Proposition 50. A new statewide poll of Latino voters paints a sobering picture of economic dissatisfaction, deep concerns over immigration enforcement, but a limited awareness of Proposition 50.

The survey, conducted Sept. 8–16 for the Latino Community Foundation, questioned 1,200 registered Latino voters across California. Foundation CEO Julián Castro said, “What Latino voters are thinking in California right now is going to be tremendously important to what happens in November on items like Prop. 50, and also ultimately to what happens in the midterm elections in 2026,” Castro said.

Nearly half of Latino voters (47%) reported their personal economic situation had worsened under the Trump administration. Gary Segura of BSP Research described the results as unprecedented: “We found a 35-point turnaround in a negative direction. Latinos are a remarkably optimistic community, but this is the most pessimistic finding we’ve ever seen.”

Immigration remains a defining political fault line. Three out of four respondents said President Trump broke his pledge to deport only violent offenders. “Half report that they’re worried for themselves or a family member or other loved one who is at risk,” Segura said. “And by a 3-to-1 margin, Latino voters believe the president is deporting people who are simply going about their lives without documentation.”

That anxiety carried into related policy questions. By a 3-to-1 margin, voters supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new law banning federal agents from wearing masks, citing safety and transparency. Trump’s approval rating among California Latinos was just 31%, with 67% disapproving, while 65% said Governor Newsom was handling his job well. On Proposition 50, awareness remains low. Only 29% said they had heard much about Texas’s redistricting moves, even as 54% expressed general support for redistricting reforms.

For many who were polled, the biggest question was whether new maps would improve Latino representation. Eighty-five percent said it was important to create districts where Latino candidates could fairly compete for Congress. “Latinos are the largest group in California now, and Democratic priorities are not winnable without Latino votes,” Segura said. “Control of the House of Representatives will have a big Latino component a year from now.”