Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams is among 30 district attorneys across California joining in opposition to Proposition 50, the proposed redistricting measure that would temporarily change how California draws its congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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In a harshly-worded letter, dated Oct. 9, the D.A.s blast the proposition, saying it “undermines democracy by prioritizing politicians’ power instead of preserving voter-approved reforms that improve community representation.” Abrams, along with Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley, represent the only Bay Area counties to sign the letter. They were joined locally by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.
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Abrams is reportedly out of office attending a conference and could not be reached for comment.
A special election on Prop. 50 is less than a month away, and the group of district attorneys make their stance clear that voters should oppose it.
“As elected district attorneys, we are committed to upholding public trust through transparency, fairness, and the rule of law,” the letter reads. “We strongly oppose Proposition 50, which seeks to dismantle the voter-approved California Citizens Redistricting Commission and reinstate partisan gerrymandering — a flawed process rejected by Californians through Proposition 11 (2008) and Proposition 20 (2010).”
Proposition 50 was crafted to counter controversial redistricting in Texas, which added five Republican seats. Supporters of Proposition 50 say the efforts in Texas are part of plans by President Trump to alter the election toward the election and assure that the Republicans retain control of Congress
“Partisan gerrymandering is fundamentally wrong, regardless of who perpetrates it or where it occurs. Two wrongs do not make a right,” the letter states. “In Proposition 50, the Governor of California has proposed a ‘fight fire with fire’ approach, dismantling a twice voter-approved bipartisan redistricting commission. In an era marked by eroding ethics and integrity — where political assassination is excused and violent rhetoric against opponents and their families is dismissed as a mere ‘mistake’ — we must firmly say no.”
They added that the proposition “erodes trust in government and ignores the clear mandate for independent redistricting.”
The letter also decries the cost of November’s special election, saying it “carries a staggering $300-million price tag — funds that could support voter-approved Proposition 36’s drug treatment programs, which received nearly 70% support from Californians to address crime and addiction. While the Legislature claimed insufficient funds for these critical programs, it readily allocated millions for this unnecessary election, highlighting misplaced priorities.”
If voted in by California voters, the constitutional amendment would temporarily adopt new California congressional districts for use in congressional elections through 2030.
In Solano County the redistrict plan would mean changes for Solano County’s two U.S. Representatives — Mike Thompson, whose District 4 seat includes parts of northern Solano County as well as all of Lake and Napa counties, and John Garamendi, whose district includes southern Solano County and parts of Contra Costa County.
The changes have Thompson handing over his portion of Solano County to Garamendi’s district while dropping his Lake County region and expanding eastward to take in Colusa and Yuba City.
Those changes are a result of Democrats’ attempt to target Republican incumbents including Doug LaMalfa (District 1), David Valadao (District 2), Kevin Kiley (District 3), Ken Calvert (District 41), and Darrell Issa (District 48) by folding more left-leaning voters into their districts
Both Garamendi and Thompson have expressed support for the effort.