Governor Gavin Newsom’s bid to out-gerrymander Texas won’t affect Santa Clara County as much as other parts of the state – and some Silicon Valley leaders are swallowing their distaste while towing the line.
As ballots are out and vote centers are open, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Congressman Sam Liccardo have both voiced reluctant support for Proposition 50, the Nov. 4 ballot measure that would redraw the boundaries of California’s House districts in favor of Democrats. Newsom has championed the measure as a response to Texas’ state map to turn five seats for Republicans before the 2026 midterm election.
Prop. 50 would not change the total number of House districts in California. It would redraw their existing boundaries in an effort to flip five seats Democratic. In Santa Clara County the changes would be minimal. But it would noticeably grow the boundaries of Congressional District 18 – represented by Zoe Lofgren – to the east.
Lofgren said Santa Clara County is largely unimpacted by Proposition 50. The county’s 19th district lines don’t change at all, and the 16th, 17th, and 18th districts trade a handful of precincts in San Jose.
“But make no mistake, this ballot measure has massive implications for the state and for our country,” Lofgren told San José Spotlight. “What happens on November 4th will determine whether or not we allow Donald Trump to rig the midterms or if we finally put our foot down and place a check on this lawless President. I think Californians will make the right choice.”
Unlike Texas, California’s redistricting proposal needs voter approval in next month’s special election. That’s because voters previously approved a 2008 ballot measure creating an independent commission that redraws electoral maps after every decennial census. Prop. 50 would suspend the maps drawn by that independent commission until 2030.
Lofgren previously announced her support for Prop. 50 with other local Democratic lawmakers on Oct. 3 outside Valley Medical Center in San Jose. At the rally, officials couched Prop. 50 as a way to regain a majority in the House and fight massive federal spending cuts that have threatened the county hospital system.
Mahan, who has built his political base on appealing to moderate and more conservative voters in San Jose, characterized his support as unenthusiastic.
“I will hold my nose and vote for Prop 50 but I don’t believe it’s something we should be proud of,” Mahan told San José Spotlight. “It’s not good governance to allow politicians to pick their constituents.”
Mahan said a better path forward would be to expand California’s model – which takes redistricting out of state lawmakers’ hands and instead into those of independent committees – across the country. He said he’s supporting a bill introduced by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, H.R. 5449, which would require exactly that.
His decision has irked Santa Clara County Republican Party Chair Dave Johnson, who has bashed Prop. 50 as circumventing the independent commission and State Constitution.
“This is a power grab by Gov. Newsom in a bid to aspire to a higher office,” Johnson told San José Spotlight.
Johnson pointed to Mahan’s additional endorsement of Measure A, the hospital sales tax that is also on the ballot. Mahan supported the proposal after voicing skepticism about the county’s public hospital investments.
“Mayor Mahan has had to lean into the wind of the unions, while leaving the ordinary citizens who helped get him elected behind,” Johnson told San José Spotlight. “Shame on him.”
Mahan’s Prop. 50 comments echo remarks Liccardo made to this news outlet last month.
“I hate redistricting and gerrymandering, but I view this as a necessary but temporary response to the authoritarian takeover of our electoral system,” Liccardo told San José Spotlight at the time. “There’s plenty not to like here, but I publicly support it because we don’t have any other choice and we can’t take a knife into a gunfight.”
State Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, who represents Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose, said if Prop. 50 fails, gerrymandering in other states will effectively rig the 2026 election, cementing Republican control of Congress.
“Elections in the United States must continue to determine who leads our government and must continue to serve as the ultimate check-and-balance on bad political leadership,” Ahrens told San José Spotlight. “California needs Proposition 50 now to both protect Californians and the integrity of America’s democracy.”
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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