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In a bid to counter an unusual Republican-led redistricting effort in Texas ahead of the 2026 midterms, California Democrats have placed Proposition 50 on the November ballot.
If approved, the initiative could end up changing the congressional district that includes San Benito County.
Two Central Valley cities, along with their surrounding unincorporated areas, would be part of the 18th U.S. Congressional district currently represented by longtime U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose .
For the past 15 years, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission has handled the drawing of district maps based on census data each decade. But Prop. 50 would temporarily give that power to lawmakers, allowing them to redraw the state’s congressional boundaries to favor Democrats. Their goal is to expand their share of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and put an end to the Republican trifecta of control over the presidency, the U.S. Senate and the House.
Since 2021, San Benito County has been part of District 18, which Democrats have held for the past three decades. The district also covers parts of San Clara County—such as Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and parts of San José— and rural areas of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.
For the last three years, that district’s seat has been held by Logfren, who has served in Congress for more than 30 years, previously representing the 16th and 19th districts.
Prop. 50 would not touch any of the district’s current areas. What it would do is push its boundaries eastward into the San Joaquin Valley, adding parts of Fresno and Kings counties, specifically the cities of Coalinga and Avenal, and their surrounding unincorporated areas.
Coalinga currently belongs to District 13, represented since January by Democrat Adam Gray. A former state assemblymember, Gray defeated Republican incumbent John Duarte last year in one of the nation’s tightest congressional races, decided by fewer than 200 votes.
According to the Fresno County Clerk Registrar of Voters website, Coalinga has a slim Republican majority. But in the unincorporated areas, the difference is bigger: 43% of the voters are registered as Republicans, while 30% as Democrats.
If Prop 50 is approved, the city and its surrounding rural lands would become part of District 18, where Democrats have comfortably won the past several elections by tens of thousands of votes.
The story is slightly different in Avenal. The city leans Democratic but sits within District 22, one of the few remaining Republican strongholds in California. For more than two decades, the district’s seat has been held by the GOP, and is currently occupied by Congressman David G. Valadao.
Outside Avenal, the unincorporated areas of Kings County are mostly Republican, according to the County Clerk Registrar of Voters. In those areas, registered Republicans nearly outnumber Democrats two to one. Countywide, about 41 percent of voters are registered as Republican, compared with 30 percent as Democrats.
Under Prop 50, the Democrats’ proposed redistricting would split Kings County—currently entirely within District 22—in two, sending Avenal and the western unincorporated areas into San Benito County’s District 18.
As part of its coverage of the Nov. 5 special election, BenitoLink is covering both sides of the Prop. 50 campaign, as well as a close-up look at the areas including Coalinga and Avenal that would be shifted to District 18 if the ballot measure is approved.
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