Overview: The passage of Proposition 50 in California may give voters in Riverside County an opportunity to elect new representatives in 2026, as the Republican hold on Districts 41 and 48 are at risk with the changing demographics of the region. The Trump administration’s attempt to redraw congressional districts to advantage Republicans and disadvantage Democrats is being countered by California’s push to have state legislators do the same. The Department of Justice has put California on notice that it intends to monitor polling sites across six jurisdictions, including Riverside County, but many believe this is a disingenuous move by the Trump administration.
S.E. Williams
The successful passage of Proposition 50 on November 4, may create a fortuitous opportunity for Riverside voters in 2026.
The White House is working overtime to put a clog in the wheels of California’s Special Election where voters are being asked to push back against Donald Trump’s overt effort to steal the 2026 election. He seeks to do so by demanding Republican governors redraw congressional districts to advantage Republicans and disadvantage Democrats—and by proxy, Black and Brown voters.
California is pushing back by asking voters for permission to have state legislators do the same thing here in California. With the successful passage of Proposition 50, congressional district lines in this state to the advantage of Democrats.
In response, the Department of Justice has now put California on notice that it intends to monitor polling sites across six jurisdictions, citing concerns over voter suppression and civil rights violations. But many of us see this as just a thinly veiled attempt to intimidate voters and undermine the integrity of the election. Afterall, since when has Trump or any member of his administration expressed even a modicum of concern about civil rights?
Five of the six jurisdictions targeted for poll monitoring are in California ––including Riverside County. According to the Department, they regularly deploy staff to monitor elections for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections. Such action by the Trump administration, however, seems disingenuous.
“The Department of Justice will do everything necessary to protect the votes of eligible American citizens, ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” stated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division in a press announcement.
Many may wonder why Riverside County? In my estimation Riverside seems like a soft target for Trump and his acolytes to wreak havoc. Why? Well, to begin with, because they have a pair of willing partners here, beginning with a County Sheriff, Chad Bianco, who has proven himself to be a conservative media darling who loves to pontificate about everything and “nothing”, and who has proven he will stop at “nothing” to do Trump’s bidding, even claiming his department saved the president from assassination.
“We need Congress to step up and protect the people who voted for them. Across the country, this president is abusing military and federal police powers to sow chaos and fear throughout Black and brown communities while trampling on our civil rights. American citizens, lawful immigrants and innocent youths have been swept up in needless and cruel arrests, upending their lives. This must end. If Congress fails to act, then the American people will send a clear message to lawmakers in the upcoming election that civil rights are non-negotiable.”
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP
Bianco is joined in his Trump adulation by Riverside County District Attorney, Mike Hestrin, who administers justice with right-wing, tough on crime fervor; who over charges Black people; is an advocate for the death penalty; and has launched spurious complaints against the Registrar of Voters in recent elections. Not surprisingly, his “Buddy Bianco” willingly jumped in in an attempt to investigate Hestrin’s claims. Both men hold elected positions that are supposed to be non partisan.
Another reason I believe Riverside is targeted for poll monitoring is because District 41, held by Rep. Kenneth Calvert, and District 48, held by Rep. Darrell Issa, are two of the most likely Republican districts to be at risk with the passage of Prop 50. Both men are staunch Republicans and longtime members of Congress who barely held their seats in their last election contests.
These guys are not used to being “at risk” of losing their seats but demographics in the region continue to change. Latinos are now 52% of the inland area population. The possibility of Calvert and Issa being “at risk” of losing their seats not only seems very possible, but in my estimation, it is long overdue. I view this possibility as a form of poetic justice. I say this when I consider all the congressional votes these men have cast over the years–and especially this year– that put working class and low income residents, seniors, children, people of color, the sick and disabled “at risk” of being unable to meet their own basic needs for employment, housing, clothing, healthcare and now, food, because they’ve always been more concerned about their wealthy donors.
I have nothing against rich people unless their wealth blinds them to the needs of everyday people. That’s exactly how I view Calvert and Issa. They’ve forgotten–or did they ever really care–that as members of Congress they are not only supposed to represent those who voted for them, they are supposed to represent their entire district. That is not what they have done.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized Trump in a virtual news conference, arguing that sending poll watchers is an attempt to question the integrity of elections and California’s vote on Prop. 50.
In a statement released by California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber shared that the Department of Justice did not provide her office with any justification for the need to deploy federal monitors to the five California counties: Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside.
Regardless of White House attempts at intimidation, voters in Riverside County will not be deterred. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. “Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights. Give us the ballot, and we will fill our legislative halls with men of good will.”
Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.