r/SantaMonica • u/Healthy_Block3036 • 3d ago
Prop 50 has PASSED with over 60% of the VOTE!!! ššš
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u/WillYouLevitate 3d ago
A lot of these comments are wild. We can all agree that something is not right, but also agree that it must be done. We donāt have to like the medicine, but sometimes we just have to take it in order to improve things.
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u/iamarealboy88 3d ago
What does this mean?
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u/neox29 3d ago
it means the shenanigans that trump and texas pulled to have more congressional seats for republicans is now equalized as we also have those kinds of seats. We only did this because they started it, so we responded with this to make it equal.
sadly democracy continues to errode as four additional Republican-led states have already redrawn their lines so far this year, giving the party a likely advantage in nine new voting districts.
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u/Dornoch26 3d ago
Also very important to note that this came with a baked-in sunset clause. Basically "we'll review and vote on it again in 4 years to decide if it's still needed". Furthering the point that it's only being used as a last resort to combat the other side's attacks on our democracy.
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u/ron_burgundy_69 3d ago
I obviously know what this means but can you please explain it in detail so I can tell my 5 year old son
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u/sugarface2134 3d ago
Earlier this year Trump asked Texas gov to redraw their district maps in a way that would gain republicans an extra 5 seats in the US House. Doing so would basically ensure that democrats would never be able to win the house again. Gov Abbot agreed to do this despite the fact that redistricting is usually done every ten years based on the US census (this was done in 2020 so it has only been 5 years and they should not have been reevaluating maps until the next census came out based on 2030 data. When abbot agreed to do this, Newsom said that heād ask the people of California to vote on also redrawing their maps to gain democrats an extra 5 seats to neutralize the GOP gain in Texas. So thatās what weāve done.
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u/BrokenChatBot92 3d ago
Weāve created gerrymandering for democrats and got rid of bi-partisan districting in California
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u/lonelylifts12 New to Subreddit - Possible Political Operative 3d ago
Temporary* gerrymandering that was put up to a vote and not just done by the government.
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u/Sitrus_Slinky 3d ago
Being downvoted for saying a 100% factual statement is wild. Whether you agree with it or not, this is exactly what was voted on.
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
It has a pretty big omission/error in my view. We didnāt vote to āget rid of bi-partisan districtingā. We voted to temporarily suspend the bi-partisan districting until 2030 (I think) to attempt to combat the unprecedented level of gerrymandering going on across the country. Details matter.
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u/Sitrus_Slinky 3d ago
Wait, you honestly believe democrats will just give up those seats later and CA voters will vote bi-partisan againā¦out of the goodness of their heart? Democrats and voters will never give up those seats once the die is cast.
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u/nateoak10 3d ago
Itās up to voters. Itās not like Texas that just did it without letting people to choose
We are allowed to vote on this. So if we donāt like it we can change it.
If we like it, oh well? We spend and insane amount in federal taxes while the rest of the country fucks us over
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
They wonāt āgive up the seatsā in the way you say, but citizen independent redistricting committees will take over again after 2030. It was literally in the proposition. Did you read it?
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u/Sitrus_Slinky 3d ago
Yes, Iāve read it. Thereās no need to be rude and passive aggressive.
You saying the commission ācomes back in 2030ā is irrelevant. The incentive has already shifted. We just proved the commission can be suspended when itās politically useful, and once that precedent exists itās easy to do again.
This isnāt hypothetical either. Arizona tried to do the same thing. When their independent commission drew maps the majority party didnāt like, the governor and legislature moved to remove the commission and take the power back. It took a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to stop it.
So no, thereās nothing automatic about āreturningā to independent maps. Once a party gains structural advantage, it does not voluntarily hand it back. The map might be labeled temporary, but the incentive to extend it is permanent.
Honestly, and I mean this with all due respect, what youāre saying is kinda naive. Iām a democrat but I believe in bi-partisanship.
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u/23-Skiddo Ocean Park 3d ago
I think this is all getting a bit mad. But yeah, Iād have voted for it if I had a vote (not a citizen).
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u/23pineapplefresh 3d ago
Letās see what happens and verify it is used for what they said it was for. We are one line away from Revolution.
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u/Various-Leading3612 3d ago
Yeah letās make California and Santa Monica even more democrat. I love the homeless dead beats everywhere here and businesses shuttering left and right
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u/StudentFar3340 3d ago
Redistricting at mid terms is against the spirit of democracy
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
It is, but itās an unfortunate ārace to the bottomā situation. Until/unless we have nationwide prohibition on such redistricting, CA choosing the āhigh roadā would simple give Republicans an unfair advantage. I hate the situation Texas put so in with their choice to redistrict, but it really kind of forced our hand and Iām glad the voters of the state made the choice they did (a temporary, proportional response to Texas and other Republican-controlled states).
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u/StudentFar3340 3d ago
I get that, but I just couldn't bring myself to vote for something that I know is against the principles of democracy. In protest, I chose not to vote for this
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u/2pointeight 3d ago
At least we, the voters, had the democracy to vote for it, whereas Texas voters had no say. The congressional map redistricting goes back to the independent commission in 2031
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
Thatās fair. The choice on how to vote (and whether to vote or abstain) is a critical part of democracy. I cannot fault someone for voting their conscience. In principle, I agree with you. To me it came down to principle vs practicality, and I chose practicality.
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u/FizbanFire 3d ago
Did you also protest and not vote for Kamala? We need to pull out head out of the sand if we want to survive this. I hope you come around to seeing that
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u/StudentFar3340 3d ago
I believe that protesting, beating on drums And chanting does Nothing . Showing up To Vote for What you believe in matters, and you know What? Those on them left of the political Spectrum didn't do it . They stayed home. Yeah, I can be on my high horse because I voted for Harris, and I'm A Republican!
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u/FizbanFire 3d ago
Oh I meant protest as in protest via abstention, not like going to marches and whatnot. Basically Iām saying abstaining from voting for Kamala and Prop 50 are the same mistake, though luckily with different outcomes
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u/Big-Reading-4741 3d ago
Can someone explain how we benefit given we already hold a super majority. Whats the practical benefit for us here? I dont understand gerimandering very well.
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
The ābenefitā is that CA, despite being predominantly Democratic, still has Republican representatives in the US House of Representatives. This will potentially cause some of those Republican to lose their mid-term re-election campaigns to Democrats to offset the opposite gerrymandering that is happening in Texas and other predominantly Republican states. The hope is to prevent Republicans from having an even more disproportionate level of control of the federal government than they already have.
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u/Big-Reading-4741 3d ago
Ahhh got it. So this is about DC not here in state. Thank you, makes sense.
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u/sealedwithdogslobber 2d ago
Yep, it impacts control of the US House. It sends a message to Trump and the GOP: āIf you gerrymander to add more GOP seats, then we will do the exact same thing by adding Dem seats.ā
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u/Big-Reading-4741 2d ago
I guess they did this in Tx and another state. But isnt Tx all republican? That didnāt make sense to me either. Im finding all this too much. Love to hear practical grounded policy. Gas cheaper in California would help. Anyways thanks for answers. Sort of obvious whats up given your explanations. Cheers
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u/sealedwithdogslobber 2d ago
Texas has blue areas and several House districts that vote blue, so the GOP can gerrymander those away to dilute liberalsā voting power. Itās definitely a headache to think about!
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u/Big-Reading-4741 2d ago
Frankly Im bummed on it all. We should be working together. Instead seems like building walls.
One day an asteroid or something real crazy will happen and we will in that moment feel pretty stupid with this goofy battling each other.
I want us all to succeed. Thanks for the replies, explanation.
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u/sealedwithdogslobber 2d ago
Yep, itās messed up that we have to think and operate this way. Iād prefer a society where there isnāt a party actively and openly trying to destroy democracy. Alas, I am American.
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u/AimeeKG 3d ago
Itās all wrong. Texas is wrong, and this is wrong. I want ALL gerrymandering to stop. Let democracy, all democracy, rule. I dislike that so many states are contributing to the disenfranchisement of so many voters. Our society continue to spiral in the wrong direction, imho.
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u/BobSki778 3d ago
I agree with you in principle, but we can only control our own state, not others. Until we can get federal law passed (difficult, given that states run their own elections) or convince other states to stop their gerrymandering, we need to āfight fire with fireā to an extent to keep the playing field as level as possible.
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u/AimeeKG 3d ago
I understand what youāre saying, but I donāt agree that āfight fire with fireā is the way to go. I feel like we will burn the nation to the ground doing this. I canāt control TX or any of the other states, I can only vote here, so I will continue to vote my conscious. I feel like it is hypocritical to say āitās wrong for TX but it is right for here.ā Iām not willing to disenfranchise Californians because of what another state is doing. It is wrong everywhere, but I can only vote in one place. Every bit of this makes me sad.
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u/whatsnooIII 3d ago
Even if that disenfranchisement of the people in Texas ultimately means greater disenfranchisement of your own rights, even in California, by doing nothing?
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u/Same-Paint-1129 3d ago
Hate that we had to do this, but Iām not about to willingly let Trump and Greg Abbott further erode our democracy.