FRESNO COUNTY – More than half of the state’s district attorneys have come together to publicly oppose Prop 50.
On Oct. 9, Fresno County District Attorney (DA) Lisa Smittcamp was among 29 other California DAs who signed a joint letter voicing opposition to Prop 50. As the Nov. 4 special election to redistrict congressional lines approaches, Smittcamp stands firm in her objection to the proposition.
“(Prop 50) is another ploy by the Democrats to bamboozle voters into thinking that this is a positive thing for California when, in actuality, it will just bring us more of the confusion and chaos that we have been seeing for years,” Smittcamp said.
The signatures on the letter mark 30/58 DAs to publicly voice their opposition to the proposed redistricting. According to Smittcamp, El Dorado County DA Vern Pierson was a key player in spearheading this effort, although the Mid Valley Times could not confirm this as of press time.
One issue that Smittcamp takes with Prop 50 is how quickly it was put onto the ballot. She referenced some of her work on Prop 36, which placed harsher sentences on drug crimes and established treatment-mandated felonies, as an example of how long the process of passing a proposition usually takes, and expressed skepticism about this current push.
“I know how much time and how much money it takes to get a proposition on the ballot, so I was fairly surprised at how quickly it happened,” Smittcamp said.
The letter also makes reference to Prop 36, stating that funds put toward this special election could have been put towards the proposition’s drug treatment programs. The DAs wrote that “while the Legislature claimed insufficient funds for these critical programs, it readily allocated millions for this unnecessary election, highlighting misplaced priorities.”
The letter places a $300 million price tag on the special election, though the ballot posted on the Legislative Analyst’s Office website estimates it would cost less than 0.1 of a single percent of the state budget, which is roughly $220 million. A Sept. 5 letter to the Department of Finance requested $251,306,59 for the payment of election officials, but this does not account for printing costs for election materials.
Though the exact cost is a bit unclear, the general estimate is enough for Smittcamp to oppose.
“As a taxpayer, it’s horrifying. As a lifelong resident of California, it’s appalling,” Smittcamp said.
Another issue Smittcamp takes with Prop 50 is the fact that the seats added are meant to favor Democrats, which she feels will reduce the impact of Republican votes and result in less representative elections.
“It’s definitely partisan politics and weaponization. They’re using their power to mislead voters,” Smittcamp said.
The biggest point of contention for Smittcamp and other opponents of Prop 50, however, is that it overrides the California Citizens Redistricting Commission established by voters in 2008. Since the proposed maps were drawn by redistricting firm consultants rather than the commission, opponents such as Smittcamp feel that Prop 50 is an overstep of the state constitution.
Though the proposed redistricting is meant to be temporary, and has come forth as a response to Texas gerrymandering meant to favor Republicans, the DAs who signed the letter see it as a “‘fight fire with fire’ approach,” and oppose.
Supporters of Prop 50 see the move as a necessary measure to counter talks of redistricting in numerous states across the country, but Smittcamp feels that since most other states do not have their own redistricting commission, it is an “apples and oranges comparison.”
Though Smittcamp and 29 of her fellow DAs are publicly opposed to Prop 50, she still respects the will of the voters so long as they understand what will change under the new maps. However, she hopes that voters will break out of single-issue and straight-ticket voting to make an informed decision.
“You can never say that the vote of the people is wrong, but I think what happens if Prop 50 passes is that the ramifications of it are not going to probably be seen for many years,” Smittcamp said. “People are not going to understand it the same way.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this article was updated on Oct. 20, 2025 at 12:14 p.m. pst after a technical error from the Mid Valley Times resulted in the El Dorado County District Attorney’s office not receiving the email from staff. The DA’s office has not reached out for comment.
