Big-Money Democrats' New Yes on 50 Approach

The Progressive Era Issues Committee Takes a Different Approach to Proposition 50

In the ongoing battle over Proposition 50, which involves redrawing district lines in California, most prominent Democrats in Sacramento and Washington have aligned with Governor Gavin Newsom’s snap-gerrymander. However, a group funded by wealthy foundations and progressive donors is taking a different path. This group, known as the Progressive Era Issues Committee, is focusing on mobilizing lower-propensity left-leaning voters who may not feel connected to the national partisan battles that dominate the current political landscape.

Ludovic Blain, director of the California Donor Table, which coordinates funding for progressive causes, explained that many voters do not see the Democratic versus Republican battles as their own. “So we’re funding groups to make sure people who don’t feel a part of partisan battles feel what's at stake, which is pushing back on federal fascism, making sure voters can pick the politicians they want, and protecting American democracy,” Blain said.

The Progressive Era Issues Committee is a more streamlined effort compared to the main Prop 50 committee led by Democrats, which has raised over $15 million from the national party and labor unions, plus an additional $250,000 from Quinn Delaney, a Democratic fundraiser and donor. In contrast, the Progressive Era Issues Committee has raised approximately one-tenth of that amount, relying on a small number of wealthy liberals and nonprofits backed by affluent individuals like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, who contributed $1 million last week.

Karen Frances Grove, a board member of the California Donor Table and longtime abortion rights supporter, noted that the committee is reaching out to and funding groups that other funders in similar positions might not support. Grove has donated over $1 million to California campaigns in recent years and recently gave $50,000 to the Progressive Era Issues Committee.

This marks a significant shift for the PAC, which, just a year ago, was supporting ballot measures aimed at creating an independent redistricting process for Los Angeles city offices and school-board districts. These measures, DD and LL, were both successful. Now, the committee hopes to convince voters across the state that temporarily overriding independently drawn district lines is worthwhile.

The Newsom-led committee has focused on familiar Democratic figures to polarize the electorate along partisan lines, enlisting organized labor for a broad ground game to ensure reliable voters are aware of the offseason election. Blain argues that such campaigns often overlook a large portion of the Democratic coalition, particularly voters of color, who are more likely to be reached through local organizations supported by the California Donor Table rather than the pop-up get-out-the-vote efforts of the Newsom campaign and its allies.

“Once you’re in the bucket of a low propensity voter,” Blain said, “campaigns don't talk to you.”

The California Community Foundation, a well-established nonprofit based in Los Angeles with over $2 billion in assets, has pledged $200,000 to support the Prop 50 campaign. The foundation aims to inform voters in areas that typically have low participation, especially in off-cycle elections like this one.

The voters targeted by the Progressive Era Issues Committee are unlikely to encounter advertisements built around polarizing Democratic messengers like Newsom. Instead, they can expect doorstep visits from canvassers who will emphasize how the outcome of Proposition 50 could affect their lives.

Steve Phillips, co-founder of the California Donor Table, explained that their Prop 50 strategy builds on years of effort to push areas like Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire toward the left by maximizing turnout among left-leaning voters who often stay home.

“California has a multiracial progressive majority in its electorate,” Phillips said. “It takes more energy, effort, and intentionality to get that whole electorate to be able to participate.”