DLNews Politics

“Gerrymanderpalooza: California Grabs Its Sharpies”

California has officially rolled up its sleeves, sharpened its elbows, and reached for the box of jumbo Sharpies. Why? Because Proposition 50, on the November 4th ballot, would let lawmakers boot the state’s mild-mannered redistricting commission and start doodling new congressional maps themselves.

The timing isn’t accidental. Texas Republicans recently played connect-the-dots with their own maps to carve out more GOP seats, and California Democrats decided they weren’t about to let the Lone Star State have all the cartographic fun. Their plan? Redraw the lines, scoop up a handful of Republican districts, and send more Democrats to Washington faster than you can say “color inside the lines.”

Naturally, lawsuits were filed—because in California politics, suing is practically a team sport. The state Supreme Court swatted those challenges away like gnats at a summer picnic, leaving the battle to voters and, more importantly, donors. On one side, unions and party big shots are shoveling cash to sell the plan. On the other, Republican royalty—Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin McCarthy, and billionaire Charles Munger Jr.—are pouring millions into keeping the commission alive, arguing that politicians shouldn’t be trusted with anything sharper than a crayon.

Here in the Coachella Valley, the stakes are real. Congressman Ken Calvert’s 41st district, a delicate R+2 swing seat, could be redrawn to include more Palm Springs-area Democrats. If the map shifts, Calvert might be swapping campaign stops for golf tees.

Supporters say Proposition 50 is a bold act of self-defense against partisan trickery. Critics say it’s a naked power grab wearing democracy’s Halloween costume. Either way, voters are being asked to decide who holds the map: the commission with its straight-edge rulers, or politicians armed with Sharpies and a dream.

Because let’s face it—nothing gets Americans riled up quite like politicians fighting over crayons and drawing outside the lines.