To:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Tamara S. Letourneau, City Manager
October 7, 2025
Adoption of Resolution No. 2025-1512, Opposition to Proposition 50
RECOMMENDATION
Mayor Gennawey and Mayor Pro Tern Johns recommend that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2025-1512, Opposing Proposition 50.
BACKGROUND
In 2010, California Voters approved Proposition 20, Redistricting of Congressional Districts. Under Proposition 20, California Voters approved transferring the responsibility to determine boundaries for California's congressional districts away from the State Legislature and to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission).
ANALYSIS
On November 4, 2025, the State of California will hold a Statewide Special Election, following the California State Legislature's placement of Proposition 50 on the ballot (Attachment A). According to the Nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office:
"Proposition 50 replaces California's current congressional district maps with new, legislatively drawn maps. Proposition 50's maps must follow federal law, but they are not required to follow the state requirements placed on the Commission. The state would use Proposition 50's maps for congressional elections starting in 2026.
The state would use these maps until the Commission draws new district maps, following the 2030 U.S. Census.
Proposition 50 asks the U.S. Congress to change federal law and propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require redistricting be done by "fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting comm1sst0ns nationwide." Proposition 50 expresses voter support for this idea, but does not change federal law or require any particular action of Congress or the California Legislature." The California Voter Guide lists the fiscal impact of Proposition 50 as including "one-time costs to counties of up to a few million dollars statewide to update election materials to reflect new congressional district maps."
At the request of Mayor Gennawey and Mayor Pro Tern Johns , Resolution No. 2025-1512 has been drafted in opposition to Proposition 50 (Attachment B). Under Proposition 50, the City of Laguna Niguel would continue to be in one continuous Congressional District, but would now be located in District 47 instead of District 49.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The City Council may provide additional direction to staff.
FISCAL REVIEW
There is no fiscal impact as a result of this report.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney 's Office has approved this report and Resolution No. 2025-1512 as to form.
CONCLUSION
Mayor Gennawey and Mayor Pro Tern Johns recommend that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2025-1512 , Opposing Proposition 50.
~ rngcey~
City Manager
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Kevin X. O'Connor
Assistant to the City Manager
Attachments:
Scott C. Smith
City Attorney
A. Legislative Analyst Office Proposition 50 Analysis
B. Resolution No. 2025-1512
ATTACHMENT A
Legislative Analyst Office Proposition 50 Analysis
November 4, 2025 Ballot
PROPOSITION 50
Authorizes Temporary Changes to Congressional District
Maps in Response to Texas' Partisan Redistricting.
Legislative Constitutional Amendment.
ANALYSIS OF MEASURE
BACKGROUND
U.S. Congress
U.S. Congress. The U.S. Congress is the part of the federal government that makes laws.
Congress has two parts: the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives (House). Each of the 50 states is represented by 2 senators, with 100 senators in total. The House has 435 members. The number ofrepresentatives in the House for each state depends on how many people live in that state. Each member in the House represents an area of the state called a congressional district. California currently has 52 congressional districts. Voters who live in each congressional district elect one member of the House every two years to represent them. The next election for all 435 representatives will be in 2026.
U.S. Census Counts States' Populations Every Ten Years. The number of people living in an area goes up and down over time. Every ten years, the U.S. Census counts the number of people who live in the U.S. The last census was in 2020, and the next census is in 2030. This count is used to determine how many people live in each state and how many representatives in the House each state gets for the next ten years.
Congressional Redistricting
Each State Draws Congressional District Maps Following the U.S. Census. Every ten years, after the U.S. Census is completed, states draw new congressional district maps to reflect their number of House representatives and where people live. This process is called "redistricting." Each state decides what process to use to draw its new district maps. When drawing new maps, each state must follow federal laws. For example, each congressional district in the state must represent about the same number of people.
November 4, 2025 Ballot
States Typically Do Not Redistrict Sooner Than Every Ten Years. States typically only draw congressional district maps every ten years, unless a court orders changes to comply with the law. In August 2025, however, the Texas Legislature passed a bill to adopt new maps for the 2026 elections without a court order. Several other states also are considering changes to their maps before the 2026 elections.
Congressional Redistricting in California. State legislatures draw congressional district maps in most states, but some states use commissions to do this job. Before 2010, the California Legislature drew the state's congressional district maps. In 2010, California voters gave this job to an independent commission known as the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission). The Commission includes 14 members: 5 Democratic members, 5 Republican members, and 4 members who are not registered with either of those political parties. When the Commission draws new congressional district maps, it must follow federal and state laws. For example, state law requires, among other things, the Commission to avoid splitting up neighborhoods or local communities of interest to the extent possible. State law also prohibits the Commission from considering political parties, current office holders, or people running for office when it draws the maps.
Current California Congressional Districts. The Commission drew the curr~nt maps for California's 52 congressional districts. These maps were based on the 2020 U.S. Census and have been used since the 2022 congressional elections.
PROPOSAL
California's Congressional District Maps
Use Legislatively Drawn Congressional District Maps Until After the Next Census.
Proposition 50 replaces California's current congressional district maps with new, legislatively drawn maps. (The total number of districts would not change.) Proposition 50's maps must follow federal law, but they are not required to follow the state requirements placed on the Commission. The state would use Proposition 50's maps for congressional elections starting in 2026. The state would use these maps until the Commission draws new district maps, following the 2030 U.S. Census.
National Congressional Redistricting
Call/or Change in Federal Law. Proposition 50 asks the U.S. Congress to change federal law and propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require redistricting be done by "fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting commissions nationwide." Proposition 50 expresses voter support for this idea, but does not change federal law or require any particular action of Congress or the California Legislature.
November 4, 2025 Ballot
FISCAL EFFECTS
Minor One-Time Costs to County and State Elections Officials. Counties run elections, and the state oversees them. Because most congressional districts in California would change at least some under the new maps, county and state elections officials would need to update election materials. This would result in one-time costs to counties of up to a few million dollars statewide and one-time costs to the state of roughly $200,000. The state amount is much less than one-tenth of 1 percent (0.1 percent) of the state's roughly $220 billion General Fund budget. (The General Fund is the account the state uses to pay for most public services , including education, health care, and prisons.)
CURRENT AND PROPOSED CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT MAPS
This section shows maps of the current and proposed congressional districts ( 1) statewide , as shown in Figures 1 and 2; (2) in the northern part of the state, as shown in Figures 3 and 4; and (3) in the southern part of the state, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. A description of the census blocks represented by each district in the proposed maps can be found at the following website:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov /faces/billNavClient.xhtml ?bill id=202520260AB604
Figure 1
Current Congressional Districts
2 0
County Lines
District Lines
23 November 4, 2025 Ballot
Note: See northern and southern oongress,onal district maps for distnct numbers for the Bay Area and Los Angeles reg10ns. Map reflects data posted to the California Citizens Redistricting Comm1SSion website.
Figure 2
Proposed Congressional Districts
2 County Lines
Distr ict Lines
November 4, 2025 Ballot
Note: See northern and southern congressoonal district maps for district numbers for the Bay Area and Los Angeles regions. Map reflects data posted to the Cal~ornia Legislature elections committees' (Assemb~ Elections Comm1ttoo and Senate Elecbons and Constitutional Amendments Committee) websites.
Figure 3
Current Northern Congressional Districts
Note: Map reflects data posted to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission website.
County Lines
District Lines
November 4, 2025 Ballot
LAOa
Figure 4
Proposed Northern Congressional Districts
2 5
County Lines
District Lines
November 4, 2025 Ballot
5 Note: Map reflects data posted to the California Legislature elections committ ees' (Assembly Elections Committ ee and Senate Elections and Constitution al Amendmen ts Comm ittee) websites .
Figure 5
Current Southern Congressional Districts
0 Note : Map reflects data posted to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission website.
County LI nes
Distr ict Lines
November 4, 2025 Ballot
23 48
LAOA
Figure 6
Proposed Southern Congressional Districts
0 County Lines
District Lines
November 4, 2025 Ballot
23 Note: Map reflects data posted to the California Legislature elections committees' (Assembly Bections Committee and Senate Bections and Constitutional Amendments Committee) websites.
November 4, 2025 Ballot
YES/NO STATEMENT
A YES vote on this measure means: The state would use new, legislatively drawn congressional district maps starting in 2026. California's new maps would be used until the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census.
A NO vote on this measure means: Current congressional district maps drawn by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) would continue to be used in California until the Commission draws new maps following the 2030 U.S. Census.
SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE ANALYST'S ESTIMATE OF NET STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENT FISCAL IMPACT
• One-time costs to counties of up to a few million dollars statewide. County costs would be to update election materials to reflect new congressional district maps. )
BALLOT LABEL
Fiscal Impact: One-time costs to counties of up to a few million dollars statewide to update election materials to reflect new congressional district maps.
ATTACHMENT B
Resolution No. 2025-1512
RESOLUTION NO. 2025-1512
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA
OPPOSING PROPOSITION 50
WHEREAS, in 2010, a citizen-initiated ballot measure, Proposition 20, titled 'The Voters First Act," was approved statewide by 60.2% of the voters, and approved in Orange County by 69.2% of voters;
WHEREAS, the Voters First Act is enshrined in the California Constitution (CA Constitution art XXI § 2) and requires:
a. The creation of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission ("Commission") to (1) conduct an open and transparent process enabling full public consideration of and comment on the drawing of district lines; (2) draw district lines according to the redistricting criteria specified in this article; and (3) conduct themselves with integrity and fairness.
b. Appoint 14 Commissioners, as follows: five who are registered with the largest political party in California based on registration, five who are registered with the second largest political party in California based on registration, and four· who are not registered with either of the two largest political parties in California based on registration.
c. Prohibit the Commissioners who draw the maps from running for public office for 10 years.
d. Prohibit districts from being drawn for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against an incumbent, political candidate, or political party. e. Establish the Commission independent of legislative influence; WHEREAS, the Voters First Act intentionally removed from politicians the power to draw district maps for their personal benefit, and empowered the citizens of California to draw the lines in open and public hearings after each new census; WHEREAS, in the 2021 redistricting process, the Commission received 36,280 public comments over the co1,.1rse of 196 public meetings that lasted an aggregate of 1,500 hours;
WHEREAS, the maps adopted by the Commission in 2021 established congressional districts based on the 2020 U.S. Census, and districts were drawn based on specified criteria that jncluded communities of common interest, geographic compactness, and compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal Voting Rights Act; WHEREAS, under current law, the congressional map adopted by the Commission in 2021 is to endure until the year 2031;
WHEREAS, on August 22, 2025, the Governor of California called a special election to occur on November 4, 2025, for the sole consideration of Proposition 50 to eliminate the congressional map adopted under the open, public, and transparent process mandated by the California Constitution.
WHEREAS, according to the California Department of Finance, the special election will cost taxpayers an estimated $282 million; WHEREAS, Proposition 50 proposes a new congressional map that was drawn by a political consultant, outside of public view, without a single public hearing or public comment, and influenced by legislators who may be candidates in the new congressional districts;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of the City of Laguna Niguel OPPOSES PROPOSITION 50 in the special election on November 4, 2025, for taking the power to draw congressional district maps away from the people and giving it back to the politicians in defiance of the democratically adopted Voters First Act of 2010 (CA Constitution art XXI § 2).
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 7th day of October, 2025.
Ray Gennawey, Mayor
ATTEST:
Marissa J. Asistin, City Clerk