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Rural California counties express concern about Proposition 50
As California voters begin voting on Proposition 50, rural leaders are expressing concern about what the measure would mean for their voice in Congress.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - As California voters begin casting ballots on Proposition 50, rural leaders are raising concerns about what the measure could mean for their representation in Congress.
If approved, the proposition would redraw several congressional districts, potentially allowing Democrats to pick up as many as five additional seats statewide.
LaMalfa warns rural representation could be weakened
Local perspective:
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who has represented California’s 1st Congressional District for more than a decade, says the measure threatens to dilute rural voices in Washington, D.C.
His district spans from the Oregon border to near Sacramento, covering 10 counties.
LaMalfa says he deals with issues often overlooked by urban voters — such as the impact of the Canadian gray wolf’s reintroduction, which he says has harmed livestock.
"Nobody will have a voice there in Washington, D.C., if it ends up being — sorry — a Bay Area representative who is in favor of these wolves being introduced and put in the back yard of folks up here," LaMalfa told KTVU.
District could be split and shifted west
Dig deeper:
If Proposition 50 passes, LaMalfa’s district would be carved up. Northern counties such as Modoc and Siskiyou would move into a new District 2, which would include Marin and parts of Sonoma counties.
The current District 1 would shift west — stretching from the Nevada state line to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.
"Part of what’s so disconcerting about this move under Prop. 50 is that to arbitrarily change the lines halfway through a decade, halfway through a census — with no new improved census data — it is purely political," LaMalfa said. "You’re going to have folks in Sausalito tied to folks in Cedarville, California, which probably nobody knows where that is — except I do."
‘North State’ residents feel overlooked
What they're saying:
LaMalfa says residents in the North State have long felt "dictated to" by California’s urban centers. He argues that many city dwellers don’t understand the economic and cultural value of rural industries.
"If you want paper, if you want timber, if you want any of these products, a rural person probably had to get his hands dirty — mine are dirty from farming right now — so people can be in comfort in the areas down there where they can stay indoors and can make computer programs," he said.
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In Modoc County, which borders Nevada and Oregon and has no stoplights, officials say they’re stunned by the proposed redistricting.
Ned Coe, chair of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors, said the plan would tie his county of 8,500 residents to Marin County, where some towns exceed that population alone.
"The population base balance is so skewed to the North Bay Area that we would never have adequate representation again," Coe said.
Concerns about distance and disconnect
Big picture view:
Rural residents also worry that their local concerns will be overlooked if their representatives are based hundreds of miles away.
"There’s a balance of voices here," LaMalfa said. "That voice will be drowned out because the representation from somewhere else isn’t as likely to care."
Maps would remain through 2030 elections
If Proposition 50 passes, the new congressional maps would remain in effect through the 2030 election cycle, according to state election officials.