Community leaders, nurses, teachers, and local advocacy groups gathered Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield to urge voters to support Proposition 50 in the November election.
The press conference was organized by the Dolores Huerta Action Fund, the California Working Families Party, and the California Nurses Association. Community leaders, organizers, and residents explained how the measure could affect housing, education, health care, and workers’ rights, while pushing back against misinformation about the ballot measure. They encouraged residents to head to the polls informed and ready to cast a “yes” vote.
A “yes” vote on Proposition 50 would temporarily give California’s Legislature the power to draw congressional district maps for the 2026 through 2030 elections. The independent Citizens Redistricting Commission normally handles the job and would resume its role after the 2030 census. Supporters said the change was needed to counter moves by Republican legislatures in other states, such as Texas, that redrew maps early to favor their party. A “no” vote would leave the current system in place.
Neil Suppa, a senior organizer with the California Working Families Party, said the measure was a response to redistricting efforts in other states. “When President Trump demanded that Texas redraw their congressional lines, he was asking them to disregard democracy,” Suppa said. “California’s response is Prop 50.” He added that the Trump administration’s policies “threaten to strip resources from our hospitals, our healthcare infrastructure, cut funding from schools, colleges and universities, and take away the support our seniors depend on.”
Sandy Red, vice president of National Nurses United and president of the California Nurses Association, called Prop 50 “an emergency for our democracy” that would protect communities from unfair political influence. “Prop 50 temporarily adjusts California’s congressional district boundaries to level the playing field. It ensures that our voices will count just as much as the voices in states where MAGA Republicans are gerrymandering,” she said.
Ortencia Cabal, president of the Democratic Women of Kern, asked voters to see the measure as restoring fairness. “Imagine you’re winning a baseball game, and in the middle of the seventh inning, your opponent changes the rules and suddenly they’re winning,” she said. “That’s what’s happening in states like Texas. Prop 50 fixes that. It restores fairness and reflects the people’s voice, not the politicians who want to rewrite the rules.”
Jesse Aguilar, a high school art teacher and board member of the California Teachers Association, said the measure supports public participation. “Proposition 50 is how we hear from the people of California,” he said. “The Trump administration has waged a war on every public institution we hold dear. If states like Texas are allowed to keep their thumbs on the scale of democracy, we will continue to see cuts to education, healthcare, and other critical services.”
Longtime activist Dolores Huerta closed the event, praising the coalition behind Prop 50. “It is time we stand together to protect democracy and ensure that elections reflect the people, not politicians or special interests,” she said.
The special election for Proposition 50 is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
