California redistricting battle becomes expensive and deeply divisive

Geoff Bennett:

And, as Liz mentioned, voters in California are deciding the fate of a plan to redraw congressional maps, which could have national implications.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa Desjardins recently traveled to the Golden State, where it's become an expensive fight and a deeply divisive issue for voters.

Trena Turner, Pastor, Victory And Praise Church Stockton:

We have our band that's practicing.

Lisa Desjardins:

It's not Sunday, but for Pastor Trena Turner at Victory and Praise Church, there's really no day of rest.

You're busy.

Trena Turner:

Oh, my goodness, yes. I'm excited, though.

Lisa Desjardins:

The Stockton community fixture has 34 different programs, including a food bank. In 2019, Turner did something else unusual.

Trena Turner, I'd heard that a lot of Black people don't participate in redistricting, specifically black women. Oh, man, I feel like now that is a challenge I have to at least apply.

Man:

Welcome Pastor Trena Turner for her interview.

Trena Turner:

Thank you.

Lisa Desjardins:

She made it through a long process to become a member of the state's Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission.

Man:

Prior to 2010, legislators in California drew the lines.

Lisa Desjardins:

Which draws congressional maps and aims to keep politics out. That mattered in Stockton. The commission kept out an infamous gerrymander called the Stockton Finger for the shape it makes on the map. It previously divided the city.

Trena Turner:

It was an amazing process, and I was very proud of it, stood on it.

Lisa Desjardins:

But this August…

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA):

We are trying to defend democracy.

Lisa Desjardins:

… California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed Proposition 50. It would override the nonpartisan maps until after the 2030 census.

Gov. Gavin Newsom:

We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what's happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas.

Lisa Desjardins:

Meaning the Texas Republican legislature's redrawing of congressional maps pushed by President Trump, an attempt to pick up five seats without swaying a single voter. That moved fast, and so did the effort by California Democrats to counter it.

Paul Mitchell, Redistricting Partners:

The gray is the old district, and the black line is the new district.

Lisa Desjardins:

Paul Mitchell and his company drew the Prop 50 maps, largely here in his Sacramento home. An expert in the field, these are his first partisan maps, and he defends that.

Paul Mitchell:

California is the only state that's in a position to significantly push back to flip five seats in response to what Texas is doing. They're trying to manipulate the midterm elections.

Lisa Desjardins:

The result has been an expensive and intense campaign with control of Congress potentially at stake. Democrats are stumping hard for yes.

Woman:

Have you decided to support?

Man:

Yes.

Woman:

Man:

Yes.

Woman:

Awesome.

Lisa Desjardins:

With a focused message.

Man:

This is California's direct temporary response to Trump's attempt to rig the election.

State Rep. Carl Demaio (R-CA):

It is an attempt to not have to worry about accountability.

Lisa Desjardins:

But Republicans campaigning for vote no are slamming Democrats as the partisan problem here.

State Rep. David Tangipa (R-CA):

You think about the arguments that they're doing for Prop 50. To save democracy, you must dismantle democracy. To beat gerrymandering, we have to gerrymander worse.

Lisa Desjardins:

The campaign spending is astronomical, expected to be well over $100 million, possibly $200 million. That includes a record level from outside groups for a state ballot measure.

Voters see high stakes as well, like yes voter Charles Martinez.

Charles Martinez, Supports Proposition 50: You know, I'm glad we have a governor that's willing to play ball and doesn't back down, and seems to be the only one amongst some other few that actually are speaking up for their people against this administration.

Lisa Desjardins:

And no voter Alex Dominguez.

Alex Dominguez, Opposes Proposition 50: Do I think Texas should be doing this? No. Said simply, I don't think that they should be doing it. But I don't think that two wrongs make a right here. Just because Texas did something wrong doesn't mean that California has the right to go do something wrong as well.

Lisa Desjardins:

Key to this plan is California's Central Valley, the state's breadbasket and increasingly important political soil. It's home to some of the state's most competitive congressional districts.

One is a swing district which Democrats hope to keep, and the other is a Republican seat, David Valadao's, which Democrats hope will be one of five they can flip. The proposed map makes them more Democratic by drawing in suburbs and cities, a concern for a vast group.

Jenny Holtermann, Almond Farmer:

This is not just a job, but this is like our livelihood.

Lisa Desjardins:

Rural farmers like Jenny Holtermann, an almond grower and fourth generation to farm in the state, but she says it's getting more difficult.

Jenny Holtermann:

The farming community is extremely overregulated.

Lisa Desjardins:

Example, water. Almonds are a thirsty crop, controversial to many environmentalists, and Holtermann navigates increasingly complex government policies.

It's harder to get water.

Jenny Holtermann:

It is harder.

Lisa Desjardins:

Because of politics.

Jenny Holtermann:

Yes. Yes. They have made politics a center of it all.

Paul Mitchell:

Let me find it real quick.

Lisa Desjardins:

Remember Paul Mitchell? We asked the mapmaker to look at how redistricting would affect Holtermann.

Paul Mitchell:

She's right on the perimeter of the district.

Lisa Desjardins:

Oh, she's right there on the border.

Paul Mitchell:

Yes.

Lisa Desjardins:

She and her family would be in a new district, but:

Paul Mitchell:

She's going to go from being in the Valadao district with a 50/50 chance of having a Republican to being in the (INAUDIBLE) district with a 100 percent chance of being a Republican.

Lisa Desjardins:

And Mitchell argues that any Democrat replacing a Republican would have to consider rural interests.

I ask Holtermann, how do you respond to that?

Jenny Holtermann:

When you lump those rural communities in with now more urban communities, now you dilute our thoughts and our representation because now that those representatives have to lean towards who is more of their constituents.

Lisa Desjardins:

Back in Stockton, Pastor Turner says the new maps aren't perfect there either.

Trena Turner:

Here locally that is a mess. It's not what we would want, right?

Lisa Desjardins:

The new map keeps most communities together, but not Stockton. The Stockton Finger and divide would come back. Even so, Turner is voting yes as a response to Texas and the president.

Trena Turner:

I believe with everything in me that our democracy is at stake. I believe that this moment requires that we take measures that we never would have considered before in order to stop the overreach by our current administration, our president mainly.

Lisa Desjardins:

If you see injustice in Texas, how can you then justify doing something like that yourself with the process?

Trena Turner:

What was done in Texas was done to them by a decision and it was done. Californians have an opportunity to support Proposition 50 and say, yes, I agree with these new maps or, no, I do not.

Lisa Desjardins:

For the state with the nation's largest population, a very large decision.

Today, President Trump attacked the California vote before any ballots are counted. He wrote that it is under legal and criminal review. Our Liz Landers asked the White House press secretary about this and she gave no evidence of any significant fraud.

I spoke with California Senator Alex Padilla. He said Trump wants to undermine an election he knows they're going to lose — Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

Lisa, obviously, a lot of attention around this. What have we seen with turnout so far?

Lisa Desjardins:

It's been high. Early voting was high to begin with. In fact, two weeks ago we saw more ballots come in than had been in any previous off-year election, including the recall election in 2021. It was at presidential elections, the early vote. Today, there have been long lines all around the state.

I talked to Paul Mitchell today on the phone. He was in the piece. He said he thinks things are tracking so much, so well, especially for Democrats, in his opinion, there could be an early race call as soon as tonight. He told me that while he was standing in line to vote.

(Laughter)

Amna Nawaz:

And help us understand the impact here. How exactly does this California vote fit into the national picture?

Lisa Desjardins:

Right.

It is critical not just for control of the House of Representatives, but, of course, that is meaningful for the idea of whether there will be any kind of political check on President Trump at all. Now, this is not the only state to be taking action right now. And in fact when California moved to redraw its maps and hold this proposition vote, we saw an avalanche of other states also start to move.

So look at this map that producer Kyle Midura helped put together today. You see across the country now mostly red states are the ones that are moving those in pink with proposed and attempts at trying to change their maps, the ones in dark red those that have already changed their maps.

So right now you see a situation where there is more potential for Republicans to pick up. But we just don't know exactly how this will land yet. One other note is that all of these kind of redrawings of map, this redistricting war, it really puts strain on the Voting Rights Act and the idea of, are you racially changing these lines, dispersing minority groups, so that they don't have a voice?

Courts have loosened the restrictions on that and this redrawing effort puts more strain on that. And also I have to say our team did a great job in California. I was really proud of that piece.

Amna Nawaz:

It's a terrific report. Thanks to you and the team, Lisa Desjardins.