photo credit: courtesy of Chris Rogers Facebook page
Former Santa Rosa mayor Chris Rogers now represents California's District 2 in the Assembly.

Voters across the state are weighing in on Proposition 50, a measure that would temporarily redraw congressional district maps in California.

Santa Rosa's Chris Rogers, a co-author of Prop 50, said it's a response to actions taken by President Trump and other states regarding redistricting.

"The only remedy we would have is at the ballot box next November," Rogers said. "if it were not for the president calling around to red states and asking them to do what is completely unheard of--- and that's to do a mid-census redistricting in order to take away blue seats, Democrats seats in Congress to make sure that nobody can hold him accountable----California is the only state that is large enough to stand as a counterbalance to that gamesmanship."

Rogers said Prop. 50 is a temporary measure, designed to address the current political climate without undermining California's existing Independent Redistricting Commission.

"All Prop. 50 does is does a temporary replacement with a map that is still based on citizen input and still enhances all of the criteria of the California Voting Rights Act," Rogers said. "That means that no minority voices will be silenced in the process. It means that we'll actually enhance minority representation in California."

Rogers said California is the only state putting such a measure on the ballot for voters to decide, rather than through legislative action behind closed doors. He said he acknowledges the cost of a special election but argues the cost of inaction for California, in terms of withheld funding and political imbalance, would be far greater.