By Colleen Cecil, Butte County Farm Bureau

This November, you will be asked to decide on Proposition 50, a measure that would eliminate the independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and return the power of drawing congressional maps to Sacramento politicians. The Butte County Farm Bureau has taken a strong position of opposition to Prop 50, and here’s why you, our members, should too.

You might remember that we the voters created the independent redistricting commission to ensure that communities not politicians, decided how districts were drawn. The commission was designed to prevent partisan gerrymandering, where maps are manipulated to benefit one political party over another. Prop 50 would roll back these protections and put map-drawing back in the hands of legislators behind closed doors.

In Butte County and across Northern California in Congressional District 1, agriculture is not just an industry, it’s our way of life. We produce rice, walnuts, almonds, cattle, prunes, and more. These operations depend on fair water allocations, balanced regulations, and federal support for wildfire recovery. Our needs are vastly different from those of urban coastal districts. If Sacramento politicians regain control of redistricting, our rural voices will be silenced and replaced by urban voices from more coastal counites, leaving us with less influence in Congress. That means fractured representation for farming communities like ours.

Prop 50 isn’t just unfair, it’s expensive. The rushed process has triggered a special statewide election in November that is costing taxpayers an estimated $300 million. At a time when local families are struggling with high food prices, soaring utility bills, and inflation, Sacramento should be focused on solutions, not political power grabs. Farmers know the importance of responsible budgeting; we live it every season. The last thing California needs is wasted dollars on a measure that undermines voter trust.

It’s worth remembering that Californians have already rejected attempts to dismantle the Citizens Redistricting Commission once before. Voters wanted independence, transparency, and fairness. Prop 50 ignores that mandate. 

For Butte County farmers, Prop 50 is not just about maps on paper, it’s about our ability to have a voice in decisions that affect water policy, Farm Bill programs, and disaster recovery funding. If Sacramento politicians succeed in redrawing lines to their advantage, the unique challenges of our rural agricultural region risk being overshadowed by urban interests that do not share our priorities.

Prop 50 is a power grab that will silence our rural voices, waste your taxpayer dollars, and undermine the fairness that many in Butte County demanded when we created the Citizens Redistricting Commission. Butte County farmers know the value of accountability, fairness, and community representation. That’s why we urge every voter in our county to join us in protecting fair maps and strong rural representation by voting No on Prop. 50 this November.

Colleen Cecil is the Executive Director of the Butte County Farm Bureau, located in Chico, California.

Reprinted from the Butte County Farm Bureau News, September/October 2025.