Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
The Prop. 50 election was largely a test of public support for Trump and the Republican agenda one year after 2024. And the results show a dramatic rejection by the electorate. This is most evident in the eight conservative counties that voted for Trump in 2024, but rejected Trump’s plea to vote no on Prop 50 in this election.
It is this shift in conservative counties—Lake, Imperial, Inyo, Merced, Fresno, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Riverside—that voted for Trump in 2024 that speaks volumes about conservative voters expressing their loss of faith in the failed MAGA promises of Trump.
Mendocino County is one of many that will be impacted by the new congressional map. It’s hard to say at this point if county voters will be better represented in Congress or worse. We’ll just have to see.
Frankly, Dems probably didn’t need to reapportion the congressional districts. Given the loss of voter support for Trump’s MAGA agenda, even Republicans in safe districts were already in big trouble going into the 2026 congressional elections.
The real message voters are sending is—if you want their vote, earn it by delivering real improvement in the lives of everyone. Gimmicks like gerrymandering don’t make voters’ lives better.
Peter McNamee
Fort Bragg
The outcome of Prop 50 in California is not the big bellwether showing Trump is in big do-do as some are proclaiming. California politics is not representative of the rest of the nation by any means. California Republicans dropped the ball in this election. They under spent and when they did spend they did not have a winning case to make to voters. NO on Prop 50 mailouts landed in mailboxes three days after the election!
Also before the election a hundred blank Prop 50 ballots were scattered around a homeless encampment in Sacramento and picked up by Sheriff’s Deputies. Mail-in voting in California is not trustworthy. Almost like living in a communist country and the government selected candidate gets 98 percent of the vote, except in California it’s more like 70 percent, so I guess we are supposed to be glad about it…
The vote showed how the government can hoodwink voters into doing its bidding. Too bad California schools are producing people who can’t think for themselves.
So the ones that voted Yes on prop 50 seem to think this does have something with the president which it doesn’t and that this will be an improvement for California wish it will not! I don’t understand why so many people are ill informed of things when all the information is on the internet. You have got to stop listening to newspapers TVs internet commercials and everything and start getting back to the values that we once had. It’s disgusting that any of the counties would want our government in California in charge of anything after what they have put us through. I’m ashamed of all of you that voted yes on 50!
I couldn’t agree more with you.
“Gimmicks like gerrymandering don’t make voters’ lives better.”
“Gimmicks like gerrymandering don’t make voters’ lives better.”
That sums it up in a nutshell. Too bad the author doesn’t seem to see the irony here. All the yard signs, pro-50 advertising, and social media hectoring made it appear this was another necessary move to “save our democracy”. Texas does something slimy, so California has to follow suit to catch up? A race to the bottom? That sort of thinking is how we got to this sorry place in the country’s history. Even Big Arnie, our former Governor, apparently understands that much.
Texas was sued and under court order to redistrixt. The liberal organization sued them due to unfair representation of minorities… The judgement mandated redistricting in Texas so put your whole “Texas did it” where the sun doesn’t shine
California is being sued in the US district court for the central district of California, because the new maps are unconstitutional since they were drawn to increase the voting power of a particular racial group. It asks the court to block the new maps from taking effect, at least temporarily.
Texas “did it” and so now California does it. We have a place where the sun doesn’t shine too.
In response to some of the comments in this thread, if Republicans had a good case to make to the American people, they would not need to force gerrymandering on their voters against their will. Prop 50 was passed in an overwhelming vote by the electorate of California. Your hearsay stories about flying ballots and rigged elections are again just a response to the fact that your party has failed us in a remarkably naked way and has no real positive policy to offer. You were going to lose in 2026 and you knew it. California is not the whole country, but the fact that heretofore Republican counties passed Prop 50 show that the sentiment against you is broad and growing. I hope that the 2026 will be a civil, fair and positive election, based on whether the public values each party’s ideas. Keep trying. After all, politics are about who can help Americans best.
And the beat goes on, and on. The California election was flawless. Democrats never gerrymander on their voters. Trump is to blame for everything: for California overspending, immigrant population overwhelming health care system, high unemployment, high price of gasoline, homelessness, housing shortage, highest taxes in the nation, etc., etc.
But, Prop 50 passed!
All this tells me is there was widespread and rampant cheating
We in Lake County voted yes by a slim margin–even though we are negatively impacted by this effort with half our county being combined to make a deep red district competitive. We see Prop 50 as a response to the current regime in DC. So, we are taking one for Team Democracy. You’re welcome.
Sacrificing your congressional representation in order to strike out at Trump isn’t doing anything for “democracy.” It’s foolishly shooting yourself in the foot.
If there is a county in California that needs more improvement and involvement from elected officials, Lake County is up on top of the list. Jobless rate is 7.2%. The total projected cost of crime in Lake County for 2025 is $44,495,711. But hey, you sure did give Trump a strong message!
All these comments are missing the point. Prop 50 was a direct response to tRump telling Texas to redraw their legislative maps to increase the GOP advantage an give them 5 more Republican seats. It was rigging the elections to make it impossible for the Democrats to ever win again. Mail in voting is not rampant cheating and it appears everyone that comments about that is obviously blindly following tRumps ignorant rhetoric and lies.
Wow! …lots of sour grapes from MAGAs, in a panic, because the nation is finally waking up & rejecting their fascist cult leader. Too many fell for all the lies & voted for a 34 count felon & pedophile. It’s a shame that we’ve had to endure the loss of our nation’s standing in the world, because our leader is an international embarrassment. He has ruined our reputation & now, he’s literally destroying our country.
Finally, the people have spoken, nationwide & the MAGAs are having a toddler tantrum, desperately spewing the same old lies. They blindly ignore the corruption, failing economy & the longest gov’t shutdown in our history. If this radical regime had the support of the majority, they wouldn’t be working so hard to keep people from voting.
Oh well…
THREE more years to go!
Buckle up sweetheart. MAGA