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.
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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
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
San Francisco isn’t letting the rain that’s in the forecast damper residents’ moods.
Here are some of the top events to check out this week in The City.
Daniel Grace at Book Passage (Monday)
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The London-born author will stop by Book Passage’s Ferry Building outpost for a reading and signing for his dark literary thriller “In the Wake of Golgotha.” The book reimagines Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate in modern-day New York’s crime scene. Grace is also a vintner, and guests will be able to taste one of his red wines, which was made at his vineyard in Italy.
Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra (Monday)
The Bosnian musician is coming to Davies Symphony Hall, where he will be joined by his backing ensemble. The group performs Balkan music with brass players, string instruments and vocals.
Out of This World Showcase (Monday)
Comedian Tony Sparks will take over the Orbit Room with help from a rotating cast of fellow Bay Area talents. Located at 1900 Market Street, the watering hole serves pizzas with draft beers, cocktails, wines and other spirits.
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San Francisco’s Next Congress Member? The Candidates Debate (Tuesday)
Supervisor Connie Chan, state Sen. Scott Wiener and progressive activist Saikat Chakrabarti — three candidates vying for San Francisco’s congressional seat — are coming to Sydney Goldstein Theater for a debate hosted by City Arts and Lectures, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, Manny’s and KQED. The debate will be moderated by KQED’S Scott Shafer and Sydney Johnson. The candidates will discuss topics including climate policy, immigration and housing and affordability, according to organizers.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, center, progressive-activist Saikat Chakrabarti and Supervisor Connie Chan are among the candidates vying for the congressional seat representing San Francisco.
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Ali Wunderman/Special to The Examiner
Tickets for the event, which is being co-presented by City Arts and Lecture, are available online. They range in price from $18 to $36. The debate starts at 7:30 p.m.
An evening with Nathan Bickert and Levi Gillis (Tuesday)
Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe will host Nathan Bickert, a pianist who plays jazz and soul music, and Levi Gillis, a saxophonist who performs contemporary, classical and folk music.
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The show runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will take place at 12 William Saroyan Place.
Portrait painting (Wednesday)
Ikea will bring participants down to Market Street for an all-ages workshop, where attendees will learn how to paint by creating their own portraits. Materials will be provided, and children must be accompanied by guardians.
Felt collage art workshop (Wednesday)
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is staging a drop-in workshop at which participants will use felt to explore color, shapes and imagery and make a collage. Materials will be provided, and attendees can take their creations home. Organizers said this edition is inspired by “gather tender night,” Diedrick Brackens’ solo exhibition on view through Aug. 23.
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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts provides participants with materials for its drop-in workshops.
Courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
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Live Music: France, Pateka, Agnes Martian (Wednesday)
Employees at the 4 Star Theater are bringing an evening of musical performances to the neighborhood. The lineup features the band France, the four-piece experimental-rock group Pateka, and Agnes Martian, an experimental duo.
Artist reception (Thursday)
Caldwell Snyder Gallery will present a solo exhibition for Napa Valley artist Matt Rogers, who specializes in landscapes and floral paintings. An Oakland native, Rogers trained at the San Francisco Art Institute.
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Thirteen competitors will perform for a chance to headline the Mission parade and festival
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The reception runs from 5 to 7 p.m., with Rogers’ exhibition on view through April 30. The gallery is located at 341 Sutter St.
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Downtown First Thursday (Thursday)
Second Street from Market to Howard streets will once again come alive with a free all-ages block party. This month’s edition celebrates Earth Month. Guests will be able to make reusable art at pop-up stations and shop local businesses, and booths set up by the California Academy of Sciences and the Museum of the African Diaspora will also be present. The former will have games and free giveaways, and the latter will host performances by dancer Natalya Janay Schoaf and DJ Kream. DJ Reggie Watts is this month’s headliner, with his set taking place from 7:45 to 9 p.m.
San Francisco Public Library’s main branch will host a traveling exhibition that highlights wood engravings made by artists from six different countries. Sixty items are on display and over 140 works were submitted, according to organizers.
The opening reception runs from 6 to 7:45 p.m. and will take place at 100 Larkin St.
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After Dark: Immersed in Verse (Thursday)
At this Exploratorium after-hours event, guests ages 18 and up will be able to listen to readings by local poets and learn how to craft their own verses as part of a freestyle workshop. Other activities invite participants to explore the connection between language and physical movement, as well as a lounge where patrons can write and converse with each other.
Exploratorium patrons will be able to participate in activities such as an exercise in which people explore the connections between language and phyiscal movement.
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Courtesy Ida Tietgen Hoeyrup
An evening with Anthony McGill and Gloria Chien (Friday)
Clarinetist McGill will be joined by pianist Chien for a performance at Herbst Theatre. The duo will perform pieces by composers Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saens, Andre Messager, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Dirty Pop! First Fridays (Friday)
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Bamboo Hut, a North Beach tiki bar, will host an evening where patrons can dance to pop music hits from the 1990s, 2000s and 2020s. DJs will spin tracks by musical acts such as Rihanna, Paramore, Nsync and Britney Spears.
‘16 x 20’ opening reception (Saturday)
Harman Projects, a contemporary art gallery located at 1275 Minnesota St., will host over 30 artists for an exhibition where all entries have been made on 16-inch-by-20-inch surfaces. The exhibition will be on view through April 25, and the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The opening reception runs from 5 to 7 p.m.
Launderland Circus (Saturday-Sunday)
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The Children’s Creativity Museum will host the touring Launderland Circus, which will present an all-ages show in which a magical laundromat stands up to a greedy boss. Guests will bear witness to aerialists, giant puppets, jugglers and other talents.
Easter Mountain Lake Park 5K (Sunday)
Dolphin South End Runners, The City’s oldest running club, will host 5K and kids races at the west end of the park, near the intersection of 11th Avenue and Lake Street. Adult runners will participate in the first race at 9 a.m., followed by a race for children ages 12 and under that will be a half-mile in length.
Bring Your Own Big Wheel (Sunday)
Residents will flock to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill to watch participants ride down the crooked road on their big-wheel bikes of choice. Children will ride from 2 to 3 p.m., followed by adults riding the course from 3 to 5 p.m. Participants are asked to wear helmets, gloves and pads for their knees and elbows.
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The annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel event takes place on Vermont Street in Potrero Hill.
Carol Swan went to her first-ever protest in Denver’s Civic Center on Saturday dressed like Lady Liberty — a tiara of crystals and wire, a teal bedsheet-turned-dress that belonged to her late grandmother and a torch fashioned from aluminum foil.
The 74-year-old Lochbuie resident doesn’t like crowds. She normally protests alone every weekend on a busy street corner in the north metro area.
“But when we face our fears, they become less and less,” she said.
Swan was among tens of thousands of Coloradans who joined demonstrations across the state on Saturday to protest policies carried out by President Donald Trump’s administration as part of the nationwide “No Kings” movement.
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No Kings organizers have criticized the administration’s use of masked federal agents for “terrorizing our communities,” the war in Iran and “attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote.”
Protesters filled Civic Center and spilled into surrounding streets Saturday as speakers led songs and chants and encouraged attendees to stand up for what they believed in.
Swan’s reason for driving into the city was simple: to be among the voices saying they don’t support the president.
“Trump swore at his inauguration that he would uphold the Constitution, and he’s done anything but that,” she said.
This is the third nationwide No Kings demonstration in less than a year, with previous protests in June and October also drawing tens of thousands of people onto the streets across Colorado. More than 70 protests were scheduled statewide Saturday, from Burlington to Steamboat Springs and Cortez to Fort Collins. No Kings organizers said nearly 4,000 demonstrations were planned nationwide.
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Denver’s No Kings protest began on the steps of the Capitol shortly before noon, with attendees hoisting signs criticizing cuts to foreign aid and sharing expletive-laden messages against Trump. Several woman dressed as suffragettes in floor-length dresses, formal pantsuits and hats and carried signs or wore sashes that demanded “Votes for Women.”
Lifelong Denverite Christina De Luna, 29, was watching the crowd mill around a closed-off Broadway with a Mexican flag tied around her shoulders.
“I come from a family of immigrants, and I feel like this is a way of supporting them and taking a stance on the right side of history,” she said.
De Luna said she thinks the protests make a difference: They raise awareness about what’s going on in the U.S. and remind people to come together as a community.
“What’s going on in the world right now with immigrants and anyone who looks and sounds different, it’s not OK,” she said. “We should all be treated equally, and coming out here is about fighting for equality and basic human rights.”
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A member of Rise and Represent leads people marching downtown on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Denver. Thousands gathered to march in the No Kings Protest. (Photo by Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Partners Diane Larson, 67, and Don Hiser, 72, drove from Parker to join the No Kings demonstration in downtown Denver. The couple said they were dismayed by what was happening in the country — that they lived through the Vietnam War and civil rights movement, and things had never been this bad.
“I think this is a start,” Hiser said. “You have to start somewhere, and if you don’t show up, you don’t change anything.”
“We care about what happens to people,” Larson added. “It’s really important to make sure everyone’s voices are heard, because we’re not standing idly by.”
Saturday was also the first time Ajani Brown, 33, attended a protest. Brown came to the park dressed as Captain America to pass out flyers with his union. He shared a hug and fist-bump with a passing Spider-Man.
“It feels like I’m doing something that’s a lot bigger than myself,” he said. “It’s about righteousness. It’s about freedom of expression.”
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Demonstrators began marching through downtown about 1:30 p.m., with the crowds spanning city blocks. A video taken from a high-rise at 19th and Lincoln streets and shared on social media by Christine Piel shows marchers at 19th Avenue and Lincoln Street, with the crowd stretching south down Lincoln and out of view toward Civic Center.
Law enforcement blocks protestors from going onto the interstate on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Denver. Thousands gathered to march in the No Kings protest. (Photo by Rebecca Slezak/Special to The Denver Post)
Although the protest appeared to stay largely peaceful, Denver police officers used smoke cannisters and pepper balls to disperse a “small group of demonstrators” who blocked the road near 20th and Wazee streets, where police were staged to stop people from marching onto Interstate 25, agency officials said.
Police declared an unlawful assembly at 2:35 p.m. and used the smoke cannisters, switching to pepper balls when someone threw a cannister back at police. Eight people were arrested, and one person was arrested about two hours later for throwing things.
No Kings protests across the Front Range also saw significant crowds, including at least 3,000 people in Longmont.
Carlos Álvarez-Aranyos, founder of the Boulder-based group American Opposition, criticized Trump’s handling of the war with Iran and the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“If one man can ignore the law, detain people without due process and drag this country into a war without the consent of its people, then we are no longer living in a democracy,” he said. “We are living under a king, and we are here today because we refuse to accept that.”
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More than 1,000 people gathered at Lincoln Park in downtown Greeley, where residents Kyleen and Kathy Gilliland carried a large flag as they marched with the group around the streets near the park.
“Our country is in distress,” Kyleen Gilliland said. “It’s going upside down because the rich are empowered and the little guy is left behind. And that’s not what America stands for.”
Times-Call reporter Dana Cadey and Greeley Tribune reporter Anne Delaney contributed to this report.
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