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How Orange County voted on Proposition 50
Voters line up in Santa Ana to cast their ballots on Proposition 50, which has big implications for congressional districts in the county.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Getty Images
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California overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, the measure that dramatically changed congressional district boundaries in the state to favor Democrats.
In Southern California, the measure passed with 64% of the votes.
And while it’s true that all six counties in Southern California voted in favor of Prop. 50, the smallest margin was in Orange County, which voted 55%-45% to pass it.
It’s well known that Orange County has a larger concentration of Republican voters than other parts of Southern California, but there were some notable statistics — based on data from the Registrar’s office — that shed more light on how residents there voted.
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For example, there was overwhelming support for the measure in Santa Ana — 76%. Outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be one reason. The city is about half Latino and has been subject to several enforcement actions by the federal agency.
Santa Ana is Orange County’s only “sanctuary city,” signifying that city leadership stands with immigrants and limits cooperation with immigration enforcement.
The cities of Irvine, Anaheim and Tustin were among the cities that also showed strong backing for Proposition 50, each topping 60% support.
Villa Park led Prop. 50 opposition
Proposition 50 redrew congressional district boundaries so that more Democrats could get elected to Congress from California. Backers hope it will help the party take control of the House of Representatives in next year’s midterm election.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said it was a response to Texas, which redrew its political boundaries to elect more Republicans to Congress. A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Texas from using its newly drawn map, ruling that it is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
Republicans in California also are challenging Prop. 50 in court.
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In Southern California, Republican Representatives Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa saw their red-leaning districts of Riverside and Northern San Diego County turn solidly Democratic. Calvert is expected to challenge fellow Republican Representative Young Kim in next year’s primary.
Villa Park, a mostly residential enclave in the heart of Orange County and with a population of 5,800, led the opposition to the proposition with 63% of voters casting “no” ballots. Newport Beach and Yorba Linda — traditional strongholds of President Donald Trump — each saw 60% of its voters opposing the measure.
Trump had denounced Prop. 50 as a Newsom power grab.
Seven OC cities opposed 50
Under Proposition 50, Newport Beach will likely be represented by Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, whose politics are well to the left of much of the city. The measure split Yorba Linda into two different districts. Yorba Linda is now represented by Kim. Under the new maps, the conservative city will likely be represented by two Democrats.
Seven of Orange County’s 35 cities plus the unincorporated area opposed Prop. 50.
Here’s the breakdown of how Orange County cities voted:
| City / area | %Yes | %No |
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