GOP mailer uses local Dem's words to slam Newsom's redistricting plan
Castro Valley MAC members are increasingly revealing a conservative streak; Former mayor is claiming "emeritas" title without approval; Questions about school trustee's residency was open secret
☕️MORNING BUZZ
—Assemblymember Alex Lee, a self-described Social Democrat representing Fremont and parts of Silicon Valley, has given Republicans a talking point in their fight against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting initiative.
Last month, Lee publicly opposed the proposal on social media, writing: “Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish. By legitimizing the race to the bottom of gerrymandering, Democrats will ultimately lose.”
On Thursday, the Legislature voted to place the measure on the Nov. 4 special election ballot. Within a day, a mailer opposing, what will be known as Proposition 50, began arriving in voters’ mailboxes.
The mailer’s back page leads with Lee’s quote, followed by three others, and was paid for by Charles Munger Jr., a prominent Republican donor who helped fund the creation of California’s independent redistricting commission in 2010.
Lee’s remarks weren’t the only ones repurposed by opponents in the negative mailer:
The executive director of California Common Cause previously called Newsom’s plan a “dangerous move.” The California League of Women Voters also made past comments critical of the proposal.
Both organizations scrambled to clarify their positions, issuing statements Friday stressing they have no role in the campaign against Proposition 50.
For Lee, the comment and how it backfired will do little to improve his status in Sacramento as a legislative backbencher.
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—More inside:
COUNTY NEWS: Castro Valley MAC pushes back against bike lanes, rejects plan for new bike commission.
CITY NEWS: Hayward officials to showcase Zoox Robotaxi factory to state economic development leaders.
Former Fremont official crowns herself ‘Mayor Emerita,’ without city’s blessing.
Union City School trustees residency rumors were long whispered in local politics.
There have been other notable residency controversies in the East Bay, including an Alameda County candidate who later pleaded guilty.
