Temecula City Councilwoman and Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Alexander brought the redistricting item to the council at the recent council meeting.
TEMECULA, CA — The Temecula City Council, at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Alexander, recently reviewed whether or not they would support or oppose Proposition 50, a state of California constitutional amendment that would allow for temporary changes to congressional district maps in response to Texas’s partisan redistricting.
Alexander submitted that the council rebutted “The Election Rigging Response Act,” which was discussed by all five council members, as well as one resident speaker, during the Sept. 23 council session.
On Nov. 4, Californians will be asked to vote yes or no on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ballot measure to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that would increase the odds of Democrats gaining five seats in the House of Representatives. “It’s the governor’s bid to offset a Republican gambit in Texas to gerrymander five seats in favor of Republicans,” according to CalMatters. Already, over $90 million has been spent on both sides of the aisle regarding the measure.
At the Sept. 23 meeting, the Temecula City Council voted to adopt a resolution opposing Proposition 50, with a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Zak Schwank voting against.
In Temecula, Rep. Calvert and Rep. Issa have served for many years, Alexander said. “An independent commission was implemented by the people. We have to think about what is best for Temecula. The truth is that Temecula has benefited for many years under the existing representation of our representatives, such as Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall),” she said. “They have done a great job helping our city directly here in Temecula. They have obtained federal funding to include the $50 million for the French Valley Interchange and much more.”
Alexander wants things to remain the same for Temecula, she said, which was her primary focus. “I’m gonna take away the red, the blue, the purple, I’m going to take everything else away. This is not beneficial and may hinder our city.”
Councilmember James “Stew” Stewart said that he disagrees with the proposition. “Two wrongs don’t make a right, so that’s where I sit. This is wrong in Texas, it’s wrong in California.”
Councilmember Matt Rahn shared that without a completed California census, “it is a complete guess as to how the maps are being driven. The floodgates could get open pretty wide on this. Does this let us do this in the future? Can we just draw whatever map we want to?” he asked. “That’s exactly what we’re talking about. Congressman Calvert will lose a district in this project. Agree with him or not, he’s a Cardinal in Washington, D.C. because of his ability to bring real dollars to flood control and transportation projects. (Calvert and Issa’s) districts will be disadvantaged in their district, to ensure he gets intentionally unseated.”
Councilmember Zak Schwank discussed his dissent from the motion, suggesting that the city should abstain from it.
“I don’t think this is good for democracy as a whole. This is a partisan deal that’s making things worse, and I think we may be surprised by the results, but they are responding to gerrymandering,” Councilmember Zak Schwank said. He suggested that as a city, “we should probably just stay out of it. Something as contentious as this, I think we should just stay out of it. Clearly, there is support here, and we’ll file the resolution away and see what happens in November.”
Mayor Brenden Kalfus spoke about his meeting with both Issa and Calvert.
“I believe the redistricting would silence millions of voters,” Kalfus said. “I’m against giving legislators more power. “To me, this is simply revenge politics; it’s not a model for responsible government. I am against Prop 50, but at the end of the day, whatever the voters decide, we will accept as a city.”
At the meeting, one Temecula resident spoke in favor of the resolution, calling the state’s Prop. 50 plan “a cynical power play to perpetuate (the Democrats’) power hold over California.”
Schwank, Kalfus, Rahn, Stewart, and Alexander all encouraged residents to do their homework and make their own decisions when it comes to voting on the Prop. 50 redistricting measure in November.