Opinion: Will Prop 50 further enshrine a political monopoly in California?
“As you consider Proposition 50, ask yourself, is California better off today than it was over a decade ago?” Former Menlo Park Mayor and Congressional candidate Peter Ohtaki points out to his readers at the Mainstream Revolution blog that “since 2014 the Democratic party has held both the Governor's office and a super-majority in our state legislature - i.e. a one-party state.” He asks, “does it make any sense to reward the ruling party that has overseen our state's decline with even more power?”
If you’re moderate, independent or conservative, you’ll lose your voice in Congress if Prop 50 passes.
Prop 50 will reduce the number of Republican seats in Congress from California from nine (17%) to four (<8%) of the state’s 52 Congressional districts in the upcoming 2026, 2028 and 2032 elections. Heavily gerrymandered District 2 will now stretch 395 miles from the Oregon border to the Golden Gate Bridge, as moderate and conservative voters in Redding and Eureka are overwhelmed and disenfranchised with liberal Marin County.
[The state’s] failed policies have resulted in:
“Doom Loop” of crime, drugs and homelessness in our great California cities
Highest gas prices in the nation (SB-1 raised gas taxes to $1.40/gallon)
Highest unemployment rate 5.5% in the nation in August 2025 (BLS)
Ranked 37th in K-12 public education by U.S. News & World Report
Highest taxes in the nation (state, sales, and property taxes)
Highest utility rates in the nation
Exodus of major employers from California including Oracle, Palantir, In-N-Out Burger, Tesla, Jamba Juice, Chevron, Charles Schwab, McKesson, Lockheed, Toyota, and Bank of America, according to the California Policy Center. Over 120 companies moved to Texas.
State government over-spending resulting in a $20 billion deficit
Law prohibits school districts from informing parents if their elementary school-aged children change gender identity
The state banned single family zoning under SB9 threatens the American Dream of a house in the suburbs
$20/hour minimum wage for fast food workers, passed on to consumers.
High-speed rail to nowhere after cost overruns and billions of tax dollars spent
California lost half-million people between 2020-2022
Read the original blog post here.
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