Prop. 50 let Californians take a position for democracy

From Trena Turner, special for Calmatters

This comment was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

On November 4, the voters of California will decide whether the state should temporarily accept a democratic Germander at their congress cards to combat such efforts in the Red countries or choose to stand up. Below a former redistribution commissioner says it is my short -sighted Californians to think only of California at the moment. Opposition: Another former Redistribution Commissioner claims that a proposal 50 is not the model of the responsible government The Californians deserve.

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As a former Commissioner for California’s redistribution, I witnessed first -hand the careful, deliberate and transparent process that attracted our lines to Congress to reflect the real people of our country. The work was not easy, but it was honorable – and she defended the principle that every community deserves a fair performance.

That is why I am both alarmed and deeply disappointed with the way of conversations around Proposal 50The California Average Cycle Redistribution measure is often reduced to one, shallow question: “What will it cost?”

Yes, that Special elections bring financial costsS But if we only look at it through dollars and cents, we neglect the greater risks. Approximately 3.4 million Californians stand Lose the health coverage due to Medicaid cutsAnd another 3.1 million people – children, veterans and families – face the loss of vital help for Snap nutrition.

There are measurable consequences from this moment that will reshape the health and stability of our country, while constantly eroding the foundations of our democracy.

We cannot ignore the reality in which this year is reduced Texas and other statesAt the insistence of President Trump, has been widely contested as racially gerimanderS This continues generations in many countries where the lines are attracted to weaken black, brown, immigrant and workers’ votes so that politicians can choose their voters.

The constitution is clear: the role of Congress is to make laws and act as a check and balance of the executive. But the Republican -led congress failed to fulfill this role. Instead of standing like a safety yard, Congress disappears its responsibility and was a rubber stamp for the president’s non -constitutional whims.

The burden of checking this abuse of power has now moved to countries and people themselves. Therefore, California must do everything within its strength in order to oppose it. Medium -term redistribution is a moral necessity. We have to pass support. 50 And to do what we can to keep the line.

The real cost of inaction arises when children are hungry because their communities are derived from political power and their needs are ignored.

The real price occurs when working families are muted, while wealthy donors and fortified politicians divert cards to protect themselves.

The real price emerges when generations of struggle for a fair representation are deleted from a blow from a pen that separates neighborhoods and dissolves communities from interest.

And in the end, the biggest price is carried by our very democracy. If we refuse to act because we are afraid of the amount in the dollar for special elections, then we are complicit in paying a far higher price in human dignity and democratic erosion.

The case of a redistribution Commissioner meant listening to thousands of Californians: parents, farmers, business owners, pastors, students, adults and more. They shared stories who are and how their communities function, from the central valley to the shore, from urban cities to rural cities.

We worshiped State Rights LawRespected communities of interest and outdoor cards so that everyone can see. It was democracy in action. Californians have proven that independent, transparent redistribution is not only possible, but necessary.

Now facing a deliberate racial gerimander in other states and Unaccompanied Excess at home at homeCalifornia must respond with equal determination.

Democracy is never free. Each generation is asked to invest something in its survival. But the question before us is not whether the average redistribution is expensive. The question is whether we will allow further unverified cost of inhuman laws, non -constitutional abuses and large -scale executive orders affecting ordinary Californians.

We watched this presidential administration dismantle Dei programs and send the National Guard to our cities under fake claims of a “growing crime” – all the time Cutting the programs themselves that reduce itS He is directed and criminalized vulnerable people Under the guise of “public safety”.

At this point, it is short -sighted for Californians to think only of California. To stand and allow more of the same means to surrender to authoritarianism in slow movement. The protective of which we once believed will protect us, just don’t behave.

Now is not the time for neutrality. If the conversion course is what is necessary to protect representation, justice and democracy itself, then we must act.

The price of justice will always be less than the price of injustice. This is the truth we must remember before deciding what “price” really means. That is why I urge every California language to vote to support Prop. 50, so we can temporarily put aside Congress cards in 2020 and make our role to oppose the authoritarian excessively.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.