The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About07 - Opposing Proposition 50 and Enabling LegislationQ �EwPpRT CITY OF s NEWPORT BEACH `q44:09 City Council Staff Report September 9, 2025 Agenda Item No. 7 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Tara Finnigan, Assistant City Manager - 949-644-3001, tinnigan@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Lorig Yaghsezian, Management Analyst - 949-644-3028, laghsezian@newportbeachca.gov TITLE: Resolution No. 2025-57: Opposing Proposition 50 and Enabling Legislation ABSTRACT: For the City Council's consideration is a resolution that, if adopted, would establish the City's opposition to Proposition 50 and its enabling legislation. Proposition 50 will be on a statewide special election ballot on November 4, 2025. The ballot measure proposes amending the State of California constitution to allow the State legislature, rather than the voter -approved California Citizens Redistricting Commission, to create new congressional district maps. RECOMMENDATIONS: a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Adopt Resolution No. 2025-57, A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Newport Beach Opposing Proposition 50 and Enabling Legislation. DISCUSSION: At the request of Mayor Joe Stapleton and Councilmember Erik Weigand, pursuant to City Council policy A-1, at its August 26, 2025 meeting, the City Council considered adopting a resolution opposing any attempt to bypass California's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission by altering the state's Congressional districts through a ballot measure and special election. The Council voted unanimously 7-0, via a straw poll, in favor of staff returning with an item. Proposition 50, which will appear on the November 2025 ballot, proposes to transfer redistricting authority from the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to the State legislature. 7-1 Resolution No. 2025-57: Opposing Proposition 50 and Enabling Legislation September 9, 2025 Page 2 Resolution No. 2025-57 would express the City Council's opposition to the ballot measure and its enabling legislation because Proposition 50, if approved by the voters, will alter district lines outside the established process, impose costly and disruptive election requirements on local jurisdictions with limited resources, and risk diluting the community voice of Newport Beach by redrawing districts without regard to established communities of interest within the City. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact related to this item. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENT: Attachment A — Resolution No. 2025-57 7-2 ATTACHMENT A RESOLUTION NO. 2025-57 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH OPPOSING PROPOSITION 50 AND ENABLING LEGISLATION WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the importance of fair, independent, and nonpartisan redistricting to ensure the residents of the City of Newport Beach ("City") are represented equitably and without partisan influence; WHEREAS, over a decade ago, California voters established the California Citizens Redistricting Commission ("Commission") comprised of bipartisan and independent representatives to ensure that congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn through a fair and transparent process; WHEREAS, once each decade, the Commission utilizes updated federal census information in concert with an extensive public engagement process that includes public testimony, written comments, and input from diverse communities across the state to develop district maps; WHEREAS, this independent process was designed to remove political influence and gerrymandering from redistricting, with the goal of ensuring that district boundaries uphold the principle of equitable representation; WHEREAS, on August 21, 2025, the California Legislature passed, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 ("ACA 8") (Rivas) (2025), a constitutional amendment to permit newly drawn boundaries to remain in effect through 2031, Assembly Bill No. 604 ("AB 604") (Aguiar-Curry, Gonzalez) (2025), defining new partisan congressional district boundaries in California to take effect if voters approve ACA 8, and Senate Bill No. 280 ("SB 280") (Cervantes, Pellerin), which establishes a special statewide election to be held November 4, 2025, to implement ACA 8 and AB 604; WHEREAS, voters will have before them on the special election Proposition 50, which is designed to bypass the Commission by instituting a partisan map, and thereby suspending the fair, transparent process enacted by the voters in favor of politically motivated district gerrymandering; WHEREAS, Proposition 50 raises concerns about stability, fairness, and upsetting the precedent of redistricting, and creates additional costs and uncertainty for local governments tasked with administering elections; 7-3 Resolution No. 2025- Page 2 of 4 WHEREAS, Proposition 50 would transfer the authority to draw congressional districts from the Commission to the State Legislature; WHEREAS, Proposition 50 would remove existing safeguards intended to maintain the integrity of local communities in the redistricting process; WHEREAS, Proposition 50 proposes dividing communities, forcing some cities and counties to be split among multiple congressional districts under the measure's new maps and diminishing their voice in Congress; WHEREAS, Proposition 50 specifically divides Newport Beach into two separate Congressional Districts, one of which would be dominated by the population in the City of Long Beach in Los Angeles County; WHEREAS, the City recognizes the importance of maintaining a transparent and independent redistricting process to uphold public trust in the electoral system; WHEREAS, the City believes that Proposition 50 undermines the voter -approved framework for fair redistricting in California; and WHEREAS, the City desires to express its opposition to Proposition 50 because it will undermine the confidence of voters by altering district lines outside the established process, impose costly and disruptive election requirements on local jurisdictions with limited resources, and risk diluting the community voice of Newport Beach by redrawing districts without regard to established communities of interest within the City. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Newport Beach resolves as follows: Section 1: The City Council hereby adopts an official position of opposition to Proposition 50 and its enabling legislation. Section 2: The City Council urges the California Governor and the California Legislature to preserve the integrity of the decennial redistricting process, avoid politically motivated alterations, and protect the stability and fairness of representation established by the fair and transparent process whereby the California Citizens Redistricting Commission determines district maps. Section 3: If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this resolution is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not 7-4 Resolution No. 2025- Page 3 of 4 affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portions of this resolution. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this resolution, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional. Section 4: The recitals provided in this resolution are true and correct and are incorporated into the substantive portion of this resolution. Section 5: The City Council finds the adoption of this resolution is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. 7-5 Resolution No. 2025- Page 4 of 4 Section 6: This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the City Council, and the City Clerk shall certify the vote adopting the resolution. ADOPTED this 9th day of September, 2025. Joe Stapleton Mayor ATTEST: Molly Perry Interim City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: 7.- TTORNEY'S OFFICE Cff Aar n C. Harp City Attorney 7-6