Today, I am happy to live in a free state like California, and have an assemblymember like Pilar Schiavo.
On Aug. 21, the California State Legislature voted in favor of holding a special election on Nov. 4 that would give voters the power to vote on whether to give elected state officials the authorization to redraw the congressional districts before the 2026 midterms.
The referendum that was approved comes as a neutralizing response to the unprecedented power grab that passed in Texas last week.
This summer, President Donald Trump called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and asked him to do mid-decade redistricting in order to get rid of five Democratic members of Congress. The Republican-led state legislature excluded voters from their redistricting process and took power away from the people of Texas.
The difference between Texas and California is that California cares about its voters, and Texas does not. California wants to empower its voters, and Texas wants to suppress its voters.
I was proud to be from Assembly District 40 when Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo cast her vote. Assemblywoman Schiavo and those who voted in favor of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 8 proved that they care about giving the voters a choice and including us in the process — an action that preserves democracy in unprecedented times.
And yes, as a Democrat, I may be a bit biased here. But this goes beyond party. This is about keeping our democracy intact.
Donald Trump and his cronies are impressively selfish in their pursuit of power. They knew they were going to lose in the midterms, so they decided to take away voters’ voices.
In Texas, Trump and his cronies are making decisions for the people. In California, our leaders made sure that the people are making decisions for ourselves.
I strongly believe we are lucky here in California that we have elected officials like Pilar Schiavo who still believe in democracy and want the people to have the decision power, whether they are a Democrat or Republican. I commend our lawmakers for standing up for democracy and making sure voters always have the power.
Jack Teoli
Newhall
