California Farm Bureau takes stand against Proposition 50
The California Farm Bureau has announced its opposition to Proposition 50, a measure on the November ballot that would suspend California's independent redistricting commission and give map-drawing authority to politicians to draw their own districts.
Farm Bureau leaders say Proposition 50 would harm rural communities and weaken fair representation. Under the current system, the Citizens Redistricting Commission ensures that rural and agricultural areas have a voice.
"The 2020 commission held hundreds of meetings and received tens of thousands of comments, resulting in districts that combined similar interests and gave rural Californians a voice in their government," said Shannon Douglass, president of the California Farm Bureau, which represents more than 26,000 farm and ranch families statewide.
"Proposition 50 not only divides farmland but also weakens the voting power of the people who work on farms, ranches and fields to grow our nation's food," Douglass added. "Rural California faces looming challenges on the horizon related to water, workforce, infrastructure and how to continue farming for the next generation. Communities deserve congressional members who will understand and prioritize our needs, and who will fight on our behalf."
The organization has been consistent on this issue. In 2010, the California Farm Bureau opposed Proposition 27-a politician-led effort to disband the Citizens Redistricting Commission permanently-and endorsed Proposition 20 to ensure that independent citizens drew California's congressional districts.
"Modoc and Marin don't belong in the same district, nor do San Jose and Coalinga," Douglass said.
The California Farm Bureau works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of more than 26,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of 5.8 million Farm Bureau members. Learn more at www.cfbf.com or follow @cafarmbureau on Instagram, LinkedIn, X or Facebook.
###California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass outlines the organization's concerns with Proposition 50 in an Ag Alert commentary. Read it here: Why farmers and ranchers must reject Proposition 50
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