Contra Costa voters overwhelmingly back Prop 50, early returns show

Early election results Tuesday night showed Contra Costa County voters following the rest of the state in voting for Proposition 50, which will redraw Congressional districts to benefit the Democratic Party.

Voting “Yes” on Prop. 50 at Richmond City Hall, Omar Brito said his vote expressed “dissatisfaction with our president and the current administration and their policies and how blatantly unfair and un-American they are.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom initiated Prop 50 after President Donald Trump encouraged the Texas Legislature to redraw congressional maps. In August, Texas lawmakers changed the boundaries in the hope of gaining five Republican seats. 

Shortly after the polls closed in California, The Associated Press reported that Prop 50 had passed, potentially giving the Democrats five more Congressional seats. The decision will affect Contra Costa County, as Antioch and Pittsburg will split off and join a district that encompasses the Central Valley. 

The “Yes” side campaigned hard for the change, raising close to $100 million, according to CalMatters, more than double what the “No” side had raised. The new maps were presented as temporary, being reassessed after the 2030 census.

In Contra Costa County, with about 249,000 mail-in and in-person ballots counted, the “Yes” vote was far outpacing the “No” vote, with 72% of voters backing it. Statewide, “Yes” had about 64% of the vote.

Contra Costa will continue processing mail-in ballots for the next week and will certify the vote on Dec. 4.

Mariella Thaning dropped off her “Yes” vote at Richmond City Hall, saying the Bay Area’s diversity was on her mind when she cast it. An educator and an immigrant, Thaning is especially concerned about vulnerable people such as undocumented immigrants, given Trump’s mass deportation orders.

“This is not about isolated cases of Latinos, blacks or whites,” Thaning said. 

Thanig, who teaches at Berkeley City College, said the economy was another reason for voting for Prop 50. She said many of her students are unhoused, and the job prospects for them are grim. 

Brito is Mexican-American and said he’s seen more fear in his community since the Trump administration ramped up immigration raids. He’s also concerned that people are losing food and health care benefits. 

“They’re not good changes,” Brito said. 

Asked if he generally votes in special elections, Brito broke into a big smile and said, “Yes, I vote in every election.” 

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