At ‘No Kings' protests around California, some also rallied for Prop. 50

In the Bay Area and around the state, many of Saturday’s No Kings rallies also doubled as campaign rallies for Proposition 50.

In just a few weeks, Californians will have to decide on whether to approve Prop. 50, which is the controversial proposal that would redraw several California Congressional districts to give Democrats an edge in future elections. Governor Gavin Newsom and advocates for the proposition say the goal is to counterbalance a similar Republican action in Texas.

At rallies on Saturday in places including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Morgan Hill, Pleasanton, Sacramento, Fresno, and Santa Monica, people could be seen holding signs advocating for Prop. 50.

Midday Saturday at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, people assembled to make a human banner that spelled out “No Kings” and “Yes on 50.”

Brad Newsham has been involved with planning 29 human banners on Ocean Beach since 2007 and explained that his team organized a banner on the beach for the first No Kings rally back in June. He said adding “Yes on 50” to the message, this time around, seemed “relevant and needed,” considering the election is coming up.

Newsham said he was upset and concerned, “after the shenanigans that Texas pulled.”

“Somebody had to do something, and Gavin Newsom did something and got this Prop 50 on the ballot,” Newsham said.

He estimated that at least 3,000 people participated in Saturday’s human banner.

John Dennis, a San Franciscan who is on the Board of Directors for the California Republican Party, believes, “there’s a kind of a funny irony” to Saturday’s human banner at Ocean Beach.

“If anyone’s acting like a tyrannical king, it’s Gavin Newsom,” Dennis said.

Dennis and the state’s Republican Party are urging voters to reject Prop. 50. He argues the proposal unfairly strips representation for the millions of Republican voters in California.

“Republicans are 25% of the state, Donald Trump got nearly 40% of the vote, yet Gavin Newsom and the Democrats in Sacramento — they’re the ones that are acting like kings,” he said.

Sonoma State Political Science Professor David McCuan said the No Kings Day protests are a chance for Democrats to make the case to undecided voters that Prop. 50 is in their interest as well.

“If you look at today’s protests up and down California, you see that the message is really, not just about Donald Trump, it’s also to get out the vote and get out the message, relative to Prop 50,” he emphasized.

McCuan also said the number of people who showed up to demonstrate on Saturday indicates political momentum.

“But California today and what we saw across the country, really demonstrates that there is a movement that is building against Republicans, and particularly against Donald Trump,” McCuan said.

McCuan noted this is likely the start of a long political battle; even if Proposition 50 prevails, there could be legal challenges that follow.

Both proponents and opponents of Prop. 50 will ramp up campaign efforts in the coming weeks, aiming to convince voters and get them out to the polls.

Source: NBC Bay Area