Farmers are fighting back against Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempt to redistrict their counties, according to a Wednesday report.
Central Valley farmers and ranchers are teaming up with the California Farm Bureau to donate tens of thousands of dollars against Newsom’s Proposition 50, according to Politico.
If passed by California voters during a special election in November, Prop 50 would redistrict the entire state, targeting five Republican federal representatives in what is perceived to be a blatant attempt at Democratic gerrymandering.
Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, whose district is one of the proposition’s targets, told Politico he is “one of the few counterbalanced voices.”
“Rural folks just want to be left alone. That would completely change,” he said.
The farmers told Politico that Newsom’s redistricting could cause real harm to the state’s farmers, as the GOP incumbents are closely tied to the interests of the California farm belt. Prop 50 would split the state’s most rural areas with urban ones, whose voters have different priorities. (RELATED: Watch Gavin Newsom Squirm At A Few Tough Questions)
“We’re just going to be washed out by all of the urban areas,” Ryan Walker, a Northern California cattle rancher and Siskiyou County Farm Bureau president, told Politico. “It’s clear gerrymandering to make my voice less powerful in national politics, and that’s where it’s frustrating.”
This aerial view shows irrigation pumps on a canal through agriculture fields in Holtville, California, on February 9, 2023. – A blanket of crops covers the floor of the Imperial Valley in southern California, a patchwork of vibrant greens given life by the Colorado River in a landscape bleached by the desert sun.
But as a decades-long drought dessicates the US West and the once-mighty river dwindles, questions are being asked about why a handful of farmers are allowed to take as much water as all of Nevada and Arizona combined. (Photo by SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglas, who’s been quoted on statewide mailers by the “no” campaign, told Politico, “We want to make sure that our members and our rural neighbors and communities get the representation that they really deserve.”
She fears farmers will lose access to valuable resources when their needs — such as roads, schools and irrigation systems — are placed in direct conflict with more populated areas, according to Politico.
The bureau has not yet decided whether it will spend any money against the campaign, possibly due to self-interest or lack of time to plan a full response before the Nov. 4 election, according to Politico.
“There’s pretty genuine concern there overall. We don’t have a personal vendetta or anything with Newsom or with any of the Democrats. … We want this on the issues, and that’s why it matters to us,” Douglas said.
The bill comes as a response to Texas’ attempt to redraw its maps before the 2026 midterm election — a move Newsom believes would unfairly shift the balance of Congress. In the summer of 2025, Democrats fled Texas for Illinois to block a quorum.
Read the full article here
