West

California voters pass congressional redistricting proposition in victory for Newsom, Democrats

Published

4 months ago

November 16, 2025

California voters pass congressional redistricting proposition in victory for Newsom, Democrats

Obama pushes Newsom’s Proposition 50 ahead of Election Day

Paul Gigot hosts a ‘Journal Editorial Report’ panel to discuss California’s upcoming special election to vote on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50, which some criticize as gerrymandering, and the upcoming Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice retention vote.

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California voters have passed a ballot initiative that will have a huge impact on next year’s battle for the U.S. House majority.

According to the Fox News Decision Desk, voters in California approved Proposition 50, which would dramatically alter the state’s congressional districts, putting the left-leaning state front and center in the high-stakes political fight over redistricting that pits President Donald Trump and the GOP against the Democrats.

“Donald Trump poked the bear. And the bear roared back,” two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender and who spearheaded the push to pass the proposition, said.

Approval of the ballot initiative in the nation’s most populous state will temporarily sidetrack California’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The effort in California, which could create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts, aims to counter the passage in the reliable red state of Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. Failure to approve what’s known as Proposition 50 would have been a stinging setback for Democrats.

OBAMA ENDORSES NEWSOM CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PROP 50

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan for a special election to seek voter approval for a new congressional map Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“If we lose here, we are going to have total Republican control in the House, the Senate and the White House for at least two more years,” Newsom emphasized in a recent fundraising appeal to supporters. “If we win here, we can put a check on Trump for his final two years.”

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, ON 2025 ELECTIONS

The push by Trump and Republicans for a rare mid-decade redistricting is part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad its razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“California voters have sent a strong and clear message that they will not stand by while Republicans try to rig the 2026 election,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene argued in a statement. “By overwhelmingly voting to pass Proposition 50, Californians are fighting back against the GOP’s disastrous record of raising costs and ripping away health care from millions, all to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.”

But Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the rival National Republican Congressional Committee, charged that “no matter how Democrats redraw the lines to satisfy Gavin Newsom’s power grab, they can’t redraw their record of failure, and that’s why they will fail to take the House majority. Even under this new map, Republicans have clear opportunities to flip seats because Californians are fed up with Democrat chaos.”

Missouri last month joined Texas as the second GOP-controlled state to pass congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s elections. The new map in Missouri is likely to give the GOP another right-leaning seat.

North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature also passed a new map likely to score another congressional seat for the GOP. Republican-controlled Indiana is on deck, with a special legislative session getting underway this week.

But, unlike those states, California voters needed to weigh in before giving redistricting power back to the legislature in Sacramento.

“Heaven help us if we lose,” Newsom said in a fundraising pitch. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Democrats.”

FIVE KEY 2025 RACES TO WATCH

Proponents and opponents of Proposition 50 raised hundreds of millions of dollars, with much of the money being dished out to pay for a deluge of ads on both sides.

One of the two main groups countering Newsom and the Democrats labeled its effort “Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab.”

Getting into the fight was former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican governor of California.

Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposes the move by Democrats to suspend the state’s non-partisan redistricting panel. (Tristar Media/WireImage)

During his tenure as governor, Schwarzenegger had a starring role in the passage of constitutional amendments in California in 2008 and 2010 that took the power to draw state legislative and congressional districts away from politicians and placed it in the hands of an independent commission.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA VOTERS WEIGH IN ON PROP 50 REDISTRICTING FIGHT

“That’s what they want to do is take us backwards. This is why it is important for you to vote no on Prop 50,” Schwarzenegger said in an ad against Proposition 50. “Democracy — we’ve got to protect it, and we’ve got to go and fight for it.”

But as Election Day neared in California, supporters had raised dramatically more than opponents of the proposition, and public opinion polling indicated majority support for the proposition.

Even before Trump initiated his redistricting push, Ohio was under court order to redraw its maps. That could boost Republicans in a one-time battleground state that now leans right.

Republicans in GOP-dominated Florida are also mulling congressional redistricting. And Democrats in heavily blue Maryland are weighing a redistricting push, while the Democrat-controlled legislature in Virginia is already pushing redistricting.

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Other states considering altering maps are Democrat-dominated Illinois and red states Kansas and Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Democrats could possibly pick up a seat in Republican-dominated Utah due to a new, more competitive map, mandated by a judge.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

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West

Las Vegas first responders conduct seven-hour rescue of injured climber stranded 600 feet up rock face

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Las Vegas first responders conduct seven-hour rescue of injured climber stranded 600 feet up rock face

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First responders in Nevada carried out a dramatic seven-hour rescue after a climber was seriously injured while stranded roughly 600 feet up a steep rock face near Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said search and rescue teams were notified around noon Saturday about an injured climber on the “Dream Safari” route along Dark Shadows Wall in Pine Creek.

Authorities said the climber had fallen an estimated 40 to 50 feet, suffering severe head and back injuries.

The victim’s climbing partner and a guide from another climbing party reached the injured climber and controlled the bleeding while awaiting rescue crews.

Rescuers secured the climber in a titanium litter and lowered the patient in stages down the rock face. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Four search and rescue officers and a lead climb volunteer were inserted by the department’s AIR3 helicopter several hundred feet above the victim at the top of the route.

Rescuers then rappelled down the rock face, provided medical treatment while suspended mid-face, and secured the patient in a titanium litter.

Crews constructed a lowering system and brought the climber several hundred feet down to the ground through three separate lowering stations, with a rescuer attending to the patient during the descent.

RAFTER VANISHES IN OREGON WILDERNESS, SURVIVES FIVE-DAY ORDEAL BEFORE HELICOPTER RESCUE

Las Vegas police search and rescue teams spent seven hours lowering an injured climber 600 feet to safety. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Once at the base, additional volunteers carried the litter to an extraction point where the helicopter returned to airlift the victim to a Bureau of Land Management helipad.

The climber was then transferred to a ground ambulance and taken to a local hospital.

NORWEGIAN CLIMBER LOOKING TO BECOME FASTEST PERSON TO CLIMB WORLD’S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS

The climber’s helmet was destroyed in the fall but likely saved the person’s life, officials said. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

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LVMPD wrote on Facebook that the entire operation lasted about seven hours from initial insertion to final extraction.

“Although the victim’s helmet was destroyed during the fall, it likely saved their life,” police said.

Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.

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San Francisco, CA

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

Published

4 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 Eyewitness News got a sneak peak as crews put the finishing touches on the floats you’ll see at Saturday’s San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade.

Since it’s the year of the fire horse, you’ll see a lot of horses and fire symbolism on the floats, housed at Pier 19.

“So Year of the Horse, it’s energy, it’s passion, it’s momentum so a lot of things that we’re really hoping to embody in the new year,” said Stephanie Mufson, owner of San Francisco-based The Parade Guys, which designs and constructs the floats.

She said they’ve been building them for about three months, with the designs starting in November.

MORE: Bay Area artist brings Year of the Horse statue to life for Golden State Warriors

“We’re in the home stretch,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of days left and we’ve got a nice little team that’s cranking out all the finishing work that needs to go into it.”

Derrick Shavers was sanding some wood that will be painted and become cherry blossom trees on a float.

“It’s exciting,” Shavers said. “I look forward to coming every year and just creating and making things shine and sparkle.”

Bon was painting mountains for a float, making sure everything is perfect in time for the parade.

MORE: Meet the 2026 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade mascot, Maverick

“It’s one of the few parades that actually happens at night still,” Bon said. “So we got to make sure all the lighting is in check, and people are safe on the float. It’s all in the details, just for it to walk by you for 10 seconds.”

Ten seconds that bring so much joy to those watching the parade.

Here’s how you can watch the parade on ABC7 Eyewitness News on Saturday, March 7.

Coverage starts at 5 p.m. wherever you stream ABC7.

SF Chinese New Year Parade 2026: How to watch ABC7 Eyewitness News live coverage

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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Denver, CO

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

Published

5 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Grand Junction, Palisade reach Great Eight in Denver

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.

At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.

Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.

Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.

Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.

Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.

Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.

Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win

In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.

Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.

Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller

The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.

New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.

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