Prop. 50: The Bad Actors Behind ‘Good Government’

If there’s one silver lining to Gavin Newsom’s redistricting power grab, it’s that he’s unwittingly exposed the bad actors behind “good government” non-profits.

For decades, the California chapters of Common Cause, ACLU, and the League of Women Voters have been the Golden State’s self-proclaimed guardians of democracy. They’ve demanded transparency, filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, and flooded public hearings with advocates calling for an end to partisan gerrymandering. 

Now, as California Democrats rush through the worst partisan gerrymander in a half-century, good government groups can’t seem to remember their talking points about fairness, transparency and public engagement.  

Common Cause: “You can’t fight gerrymandering with more gerrymandering”

The mainstream media often describes Common Cause as a “nonpartisan, grassroots organization.” The state’s affiliate, California Common Cause, who claims it’s “holding power accountable,” was one of the original proponents of California’s independent redistricting commission.  

“California Common Cause was the main force behind California’s citizen-led redistricting commission, stopping politicians from drawing districts for their own gain. That’s a reform we fought hard to pass and it’s one we stand by,” the group posted on its blog. “California set the national gold standard for fair redistricting, and now it’s at risk of being torn down for political points.” 

At first, California Common Cause stuck to its principles, sending out blistering criticisms of Gov Gavin Newsom for “attempting to copy the GOP’s playbook to boost his profile.” Newsom was “anti-democratic.” It organized a Zoom webinar to criticize the “extreme, partisan gerrymandering battle in Texas and California.” 

“You can’t fight gerrymandering with more gerrymandering,” Common Cause told the Pacific Evening News in July.  

Then, someone at the Democrat Party headquarters must have told them to get in line. CEO Virginia Kase Solomon emailed organization leaders asking them not to make any new statements on gerrymandering – unless, of course, it’s to bash President Trump or Republicans.

This supposed “non-partisan” nonprofit organization is attacking President Trump and openly shilling for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s power grab, even placing a quote in the Governor’s press release. 

“In the current mid-decade redistricting battle, we recognize that President Trump and Republican leaders are pursuing a calculated, asymmetric strategy to redraw districts mid-decade in states like Texas, to lock in unaccountable power and silence voters,” said Common Cause. “This is not an isolated political tactic; it is part of a broader march toward authoritarianism, dismantling people-powered democracy, and stripping away the people’s ability to have a political voice and say in how they are governed.”

SF Legislator: “You are not going to put another F**g Asian in my district”

Not too long ago, California Democrats were accused of unaccountable power and silencing voters, according to California Common Cause.  

According to its 15-page redistricting history, “California’s Redistricting Reform Story,” partisan line drawers in the Democrat-controlled California legislature were disenfranchising racial groups with gerrymandering.  

“You are not going to put another F**g Asian in my district,” a legislator from San Francisco once told a California Common Cause advocate, the report claims. 

In 2021, California Common Cause, the ACLU of Northern California and the ACLU of Southern California published a 46-page report, “2021 Redistricting for Community Empowerment: A Legal How-To Guide.” It includes a laundry list of good government transparency talking points on fair and independent redistricting. 

Redistricting should maximize transparency, post all testimony and maps in advance, hold at least 4 public hearings and wait a week before selecting the final maps.

“The line drawers in your jurisdiction must engage in a thorough public outreach process,” the legal guidebook advises. “State law requires cities and counties to encourage residents, including those in underrepresented communities and non-English speaking communities, to participate in the redistricting process.” 

Funny, there hasn’t been a single lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Southern or Northern California to stop Newsom’s Prop. 50, which disenfranchised “underrepresented communities and non-English speaking communities.” 

“State law now prohibits drawing districts to benefit one political party over another,” Julia Gomez, staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California claimed back in 2021.

League of Women Voters’ of California: Partisan Line Drawing is “Discriminatory Manipulation” 

The League of Women Voters’ of California claims to be a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that “opposes gerrymandering.” It was among the state “leaders in the movement to create California’s independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.” 

“The League works for fair maps at every level of government,” the nonprofit 501c3 claims on its webpage “Redistricting California.”

According to the group, elected officials drawing district lines results in “discriminatory manipulation that weakens the voting strength of targeted communities, also allowing partisan manipulation that favors one political party over another.”

This week, the group announced that it will not take a position on Proposition 50. “Our record on this is public and clear,” the group said.

The bad actors behind California’s good government groups stand for democracy, transparency, and public engagement – just not on Tuesday, November 4th.