Prop. 50 decision time

In the latest battle between Democrats and President Donald Trump, the fate of the state’s Proposition 50 will be decided today.

Californians who have not yet cast their ballots are heading to the polls to approve or reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts in a way that favors Democrats through 2030. More than 6.6 million ballots were cast from Sunday.

As CalMatters’ Maya K. Miller explains, opponents of the measure argue that bypassing California’s independent redistricting commission is undemocratic and limits Republican votes. Supporters, meanwhile, were pushing an anti-Trump message focused on countering gerrymandering efforts in other GOP-controlled states and potentially winning the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.

That rhetoric appears to be working: The Public Policy Institute of California found that 56 percent of likely voters said they would support the measure, compared to 43 percent who opposed it. Reporting a wider gap, the Berkeley Institute for Governmental Studies found that 60 percent of likely voters said they would vote to pass Proposition 50, compared to 38 percent who would oppose it.

• Eric SchicklerIGS co-director: “The results suggest that Democrats have been able to frame the debate around the proposal around support or opposition for President Trump and national Republicans, rather than about voters’ more general preference for nonpartisan redistricting.”

If Prop. 50 pass, it can serve as an impetus for others Democratic-leaning states considering redistribution. But the party would still face challenges to reclaim the House through manipulation, including short deadlines and legal disputes.

Read more about voting on Prop. 50 hereand keep up with latest news on the measure as unfolded today by Jeanne Kuang of Maya and CalMatters.

More on Proposition 50: As part of our partnership with PBS SoCal, Jeanne and CalMatters Video Strategy Director Robert Meeks have a video segment on everything you need to know about Prop. 50 in two minutes. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58pm weekdays on PBS SoCal.

A year after golden clams were first discovered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, these thimble-sized invasive molluscs continue to spread — threatening critical infrastructure and farmers in the deltawrites Rachel Becker of CalMatters.

Native to China and Southeast Asia, golden clams can attach to underwater surfaces, clog pipes — as they have already done in Contra Costa County’s water systems — and damage infrastructure. But to stop their spread, state agencies have prioritized protecting the rest of the state from the Delta over protecting the Delta itself, residents and local leaders say.

California lawmakers appropriated $20 million in funding this year to fight the clam infestation statewide, but none of that money has been allocated to help the Delta, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Because the region produces more than $4.6 billion in agricultural produce, agriculture could be particularly hard hit, said Christopher Neudeck, district engineer for many of the Delta Islands.

• Neudeck: “If (the siphons) get clogged, we’re going to lose billions of dollars worth of agricultural production. We know this has become extremely problematic. But nothing has been done. We’re just on hold, waiting to let the other shoe drop.”

Read more here.

Turning Point USA plans to make its final tour stop at UC Berkeley on November 10, raises concerns about campus safety among the organization’s supporters and critics, Ella Carter-Clauschi and Martin Romero of CalMatters’ report College Journalism Network.

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that promotes conservative values ​​on college campuses. Its co-founder, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot in September on tour stops at a university in Utah, renewing debates about political violence and free speech.

After a brief hiatus, the tour has since stopped at nine college campuses across the US. His final stop will be at UC Berkeley, an acclaimed public university known for its progressive student activism. It will also be the organization’s first event on a California college campus since Kirk’s death.

Dan Mogloff, a UC Berkeley spokesman, said the Berkeley branch expects 300 attendees as of Oct. 14. The venue, where the event is being held, can hold nearly 2,000. Mogloff declined to provide details on how UC Berkeley plans to secure the event, but said the university will follow protocols set by the large-event policy.

Read more here.

Six years after an inmate reportedly told another prison psychologist he wanted to cut off the head of Dr. Beth Fischgrund, a jury has awarded a multimillion-dollar settlement to Fischgrund, who accused her employer of failing to respond appropriately to the threat. Read more by Adam Ashton of CalMatters.