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Voters line up in Santa Ana to cast their ballots on Proposition 50, which has big implications for congressional districts in the county.California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, the measure that dramatically changed congressional district boundaries in the state to favor Democrats.
In Southern California, the measure passed with 64% of the votes.It’s well known that Orange County has a larger concentration of Republican voters than other parts of Southern California, but there were some notable statistics — based on data from the Registrar’s office — that shed more light on how residents there voted.For example, there was overwhelming support for the measure in Santa Ana – 76%. Outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs EnforcementVilla Park, a mostly residential enclave in the heart of Orange County and with a population of 5,800, led the opposition to the proposition with 63% of voters casting “no” ballots.California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, the measure that dramatically changed congressional district boundaries in the state to favor Democrats.And while it’s true that all six counties in Southern California voted in favor of Prop. 50, the smallest margin was in Orange County, which voted 55%-45% to pass it. It’s well known that Orange County has a larger concentration of Republican voters than other parts of Southern California, but there were some notable statistics — based on data from the Registrar’s office — that shed more light on how residents there voted. For example, there was overwhelming support for the measure in Santa Ana — 76%. Outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs EnforcementSanta Ana is Orange County’s only “sanctuary city,” signifying that city leadership stands with immigrants and limits cooperation with immigration enforcement. The cities of Irvine, Anaheim and Tustin were among the cities that also showed strong backing for Proposition 50, each topping 60% support.Proposition 50 redrew congressional district boundaries so that more Democrats could get elected to Congress from California. Backers hope it will help the party take control of the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm election. Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was a response to Texas, which redrew its political boundaries to elect more Republicans to Congress. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Texas from using its newly drawn map, ruling that it is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. In Southern California, Republican Representatives Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa saw their red-leaning districts of Riverside and Northern San Diego County turn solidly Democratic. Calvert is expected to challenge fellow Republican Representative Young Kim in next year’s primary. Villa Park, a mostly residential enclave in the heart of Orange County and with a population of 5,800, led the opposition to the proposition with 63% of voters casting “no” ballots. Newport Beach and Yorba Linda — traditional strongholds of President Donald Trump — each saw 60% of its voters opposing the measure.into two different districts. Yorba Linda is now represented by Kim. Under the new maps, the conservative city will likely be represented by two Democrats.Published November 20, 2025 3:45 PM Flyers supporting Prop. 50 at the Kern County Democratic Party booth during the Kern County Fair in Bakersfield on Sept. 26.Proposition 50, the Democratic-backed ballot measure to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional maps, has scrambled California’s congressional playing field in more ways than you might think. Yes, it’s given Democrats the opportunity to flip up to five Republican-held seats but it’s also made a handful of blue districts even safer.Erin Covey, House editor at the Cook Political Report, said Prop 50's passage puts Democrats in a position to beat Republicans — who set off the mid-decade redistricting fight — at their own game nationally. That’s despite the fact that far more GOP-led states have moved to redraw their maps ahead of 2026 than blue states. Texas, the first to redraw its maps at the behest of President Donald Trump, just saw its new districts blocked by a district court. It’s unclear whether that ruling will stand if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to weigh in., the Democratic-backed ballot measure to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional maps, has scrambled California’s congressional playing field in more ways than you might think. Yes, it’s given Democrats the opportunity to flip up to five Republican-held seats, said Erin Covey, House editor at the Cook Political Report. But it’s also made a handful of blue districts even safer. That, Covey said, puts Democrats in a position to beat Republicans — who set off the mid-decade redistricting fight — at their own game nationally. “In terms of the national redistricting outlook, I think that California is basically putting Democrats in a position where they may be able to fight this to a draw or at least limit Republicans to only picking up maybe three or four seats through redistricting alone,” Covey said. That’s despite the fact that far more GOP-led states have moved to redraw their maps ahead of 2026 than blue states. Texas, the first to redraw its maps at the behest of President Donald Trump, just saw its new districts“Seats are going to flip as a result of these new maps a lot of these maps cancel each other out. And so we’re in kind of an interesting situation where it may not be quite as good for Republicans as they anticipated going into this,” she said. “Without California, that would not have been possible because of the sheer number of seats that the California map affects. It really was a significant achievement on the part of Democrats and could potentially make the difference in the majority next year.” Here’s a look at the biggest shifts under Proposition 50 — with thanks to Covey and the number crunchers over at the Cook Political Report for many of the data points below.The new North State district is seen as an easy pickup opportunities for Democrats. District 1, currently held by Republican Doug LaMalfa, shifted west and now includes both Chico and Santa Rosa. Under the old map, Trump won the district by 25 points; under the new boundaries, he would have lost by 12. LaMalfa said he will run, but it’s going to be tough: State Senate President Mike McGuire, who has represented Sonoma County in the Legislature for 12 years,District 3, represented by Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, now includes more of Sacramento County and shifts from a Trump +3 to a district former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by double digits. Two Democrats have announced their intention to run: Rep. Ami Bera and Nevada County Supervisor Heidi Hall. The big question, Covey said, is what Kiley does. “He could choose to stay in the Third, which of course would be very tough,” she said. “He could move to the Sixth District, which is also a seat that Harris would’ve won by eight points in 2024. … And then the third option for Kiley outside of retiring or running for something else entirely would be to run in the Fifth District, which is Tom McClintock’s seat.”Aside from 2018, when Central Valley GOP Rep. David Valadao fell victim to a blue tidal wave that swept Democrats into control of Congress, the 22nd District has been a thorn in the side of Democrats. Valadao has defied political gravity, winning over working-class Latino voters to hang on to a seat even when party registration favored Democrats. In 2024, he won by seven points to Trump’s six. But with the new Proposition 50 lines, the current 22nd would have favored Trump by less than two points. Health care could be central here: six out of 10 residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. “His biggest vulnerability going into this election is the impact that the Big Beautiful Bill has on health care, in particular Medicaid cuts,” Covey said. “The district has shifted to the right in recent years as a lot of the Hispanics in the Central Valley have become more and more open to voting for Trump.” This Southern California seat has the distinction of being the only California district made more Republican by Proposition 50. Orange County Republican Rep. Young Kim currently holds it. But longtime Inland Empire Republican Rep. Ken Calvert plans to run there, setting up a potential clash between two strong GOP contenders. While Kim is well-liked in her district, the redrawn 40th District actually has more of Calvert’s current turf than Kim’s. “I believe Kim’s portion is about a third and Calvert’s portion is about half the district, so it makes sense that they would both want to run in this seat,” Covey said. “I think this will be a really competitive race.”“She has put up a really strong electoral performance in Orange County for the past couple of years for a Republican and has typically done better than Trump and won over Democratic voters,” Covey said. But Calvert is also a “heavyweight,” she added, who will likely run to Kim’s right — and could perform well among the conservative voters in the district’s eastern swath. “He’s chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He’s been around forever,” Covey said. “He was also someone who I was wondering if he was maybe going to retire. And I guess he feels like he’s in a position where still has a very good shot at winning this district, even against Young Kim.”Speaking of retirements: All eyes are on longtime San Diego-area GOP Rep. Darrell Issa to see whether he stays in the newly drawn 48th District, which now slightly favors Democrats. Issa could jump into the Kim-Calvert race in District 40 or lean on his immense personal wealth to compete in the new District 48, which now includes more of San Diego and liberal Palm Springs.include San Diego City Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert and former Obama administration official Ammar Campa-Najjar, who previously ran unsuccessfully twice for Congress.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made a dramatic about-face in the agency's position on the relationship between vaccines and autism.The CDC's website now says a link between vaccines and autism cannot be ruled out. That's a reversal from the CDC's longstanding stance that there is no link.The change comes even though a connection between vaccines and autism has long been debunked by a large body of high-quality research. But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted the discredited claim.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has made a dramatic about-face in the agency's position on the relationship between vaccines and autism.The change comes even though a connection between vaccines and autism has long been debunked by a large body of high-quality research. But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has The CDC's change is alarming public health experts. They are already worried about a drop in childhood vaccination, which has led to a resurgence of dangerous childhood diseases like measles and whooping cough. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to promote false information suggesting vaccines cause autism," said Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a statement."Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There's no link between vaccines and autism." She went on to say,"Anyone repeating this harmful myth is misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead parents. We call on the CDC to stop wasting government resources to amplify false claims that sow doubt in one of the best tools we have to keep children healthy and thriving: routine immunizations." In a statement to NPR, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon repeated one of the changes to the website:"The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism." He said the department"has launched a comprehensive assessment of the causes of autism, including investigations on plausible biologic mechanisms and potential causal links."said in a statement the organization provided to NPR, adding,"No environmental factor has been better studied as a potential cause of autism than vaccines.", a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia."These are the usual anti-vaccine tropes, misrepresentation of studies, false equivalence," he says."They might as well say chicken nuggets might cause autism because you can't prove that either." The changes on the website"blindsided" career scientists at CDC, says Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a former top CDC official who resigned from the agency in August."The scientists did not participate in its creation," he says."And the data are unvetted." Two current CDC staffers, who contacted NPR Thursday, say the updates are a glaring red flag that indicate the vaccine information on the agency website is no longer credible, and is instead"anti-science." They requested anonymity out of concern they could lose their jobs for speaking to the press. The moves are the latest in a series of steps Kennedy has taken on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines that run counter to mainstream medical and scientific organizations like the pediatrics academy, the Infectious Disease Society of American and the American College of Physicians. Vaccine proponents say the moves are recklessly undermining public confidence in vaccines and fueling vaccine hesitancy, putting the nation's children at risk. The U.S. appears to be poised to Kennedy sacked all the members of the CDC's influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, earlier this year and replaced the members with his own slate. In one of its first actions, the new advisory committee called for the removal of the preservative thimerosal used in a small fraction of flu vaccines, even though safety concerns about it have also been debunked. Under Kennedy, federal health agencies have also made it harder for people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and canceled grants funding new vaccines that rely on mRNA technology at the heart of the most used COVID vaccines. The Trump administration has also claimed there is a link between acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and autism, and promoted the use of leucovorin, a prescription form of vitamin B9, to treat autismPublic health experts say both moves are scientifically unsound and would essentially upend the nation's childhood vaccination regimen, leaving children vulnerable to diseases that had long been brought under control.. For years, all babies have been vaccinated against hepatitis at birth. Hepatitis B can cause liver failure and liver cancer. The CDC acknowledges in a footnote on its main webpage on autism and vaccines that it still carries a header reading"Vaccines do not cause autism*" and says it hasn't"been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it would remain on the CDC website." NPR emailed Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy's office for comment but didn't receive an immediate response. Cassidy chairs the Senate HELP Committee, which vetted Kennedy's nomination to lead HHS and voted along party lines to support it.:"I'm a doctor who has seen people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism. Any statement to the contrary is wrong, irresponsible, and actively makes Americans sicker."Jose Rodriguez wasn’t trying to be the first person in Altadena to finish a new home after suffering a loss in the Eaton Fire. But thanks to his decades of construction experience — and fast work by his crew — Rodriguez earned that distinction earlier this week.A county inspector congratulated Rodriguez on receiving Los Angeles County’s first certificate of occupancy on a property impacted by the January fire.The office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, celebrated the completion of the Rodriguez family’s new ADU in a written statement to LAist. “Knowing a fully permitted ADU has transformed what was once a garage into a safe, permanent place to call home feels good and is an important milestone,” the statement said.Jose Rodriguez wasn’t trying to be the first person in Altadena to finish a new home after suffering a loss in the Eaton Fire. But thanks to his decades of construction experience — and fast work by his crew — Rodriguez has earned that distinction. Earlier this week, a county inspector congratulated him on receiving Los Angeles County’s first certificate of occupancy on a property impacted by the January fire.“It feels strange because I’m not used to this,” he said. “I feel good. I feel happy because everything is finished."on LAist’s community engagement team). The younger Rodriguez previously lived in a unit attached to the family’s garage. The office of L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, celebrated the completion of the Rodriguez family’s new ADU in a written statement to LAist. “This is another tangible reminder that Altadena’s recovery is moving forward,” the statement read. “Knowing a fully permitted ADU has transformed what was once a garage into a safe, permanent place to call home feels good and is an important milestone. This is what steady, determined progress looks like."David Rodriguez said the two-bedroom ADU, with its brand new bathroom and kitchen , is an upgrade from his previous space. “Both of my parents have worked very hard to just move it along,” he said. “It also wouldn't be possible without the people who were working here as well … the plumber and the electricians and the workers who were putting up everything.” Rodriguez said he has strong childhood memories of watching his father, a retired carpenter, getting ready for work before the sun came up. “He would leave super early in the morning, like at 4 or 5 a.m.,” he said, adding that the experience was hard-earned but came in handy during the family’s fire recovery process.Jose Rodriguez said the process moved quickly because he knew the building process inside and out. He knew how to get plans drawn up, how to apply for building permits, how to assemble a construction crew and how to pass county inspections.“I have everything ready. I have other people coming to help me,” he said. “I have my list. I have everything.” Construction took a little over three months. His wife, Sandra, pitched in too. She cooked hot meals for the construction workers on site. After living in a string of hotels and short-term rentals, the family moved back into their main house about a month ago. Sandra Rodriguez said she looks forward to seeing their son finally return to his own space.“Every time when we came here to the back, I saw his face, smiling,” she said. “As a mom, I can feel he's very happy with this new place.”David Rodriguez said this feels like a hopeful moment, not just for his family but for an entire community slowly recovering from profound loss. He’s encouraged when he sees framing for other ADUs starting to go up on nearby lots. “We all lost a lot,” he said. “I think we're all still very much grieving as a community. And I really hope that we can all just continue to rebuild.” So far, L.A. County’s Department of Public Works has issued 829 building permits in unincorporated areas affected by the Eaton Fire. Nearly 6,750 housing units were destroyed in the fire.Highway 38, one of the main roads leading to Big Bear, is closed to traffic due to damage caused by Tropical Storm Mario. Caltrans is clearing the debris, but the agency estimates the effort will take until June 2026.Visitors can still get to Big Bear through Highway 330/Highway 18 or Highway 18. Due to increased congestion on these routes, be sure to plan for extra travel time., which provide extra traction to help prevent accidents on icy roads. Visitors can buy these ahead of time at a local auto parts store , and it’s a good idea to practice putting them on your tires before heading to the mountains.
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