The war has begun

The congressional redistricting measure, Proposition 50, barely had been placed on the ballot when three opposition pieces turned up in the mail — a pretty solid indicator of what this Nov. 4 campaign will be like.

The three mail pieces — and there might have been (and will be) more — come from a confusing array of organizations: ProtectFairElections.org, Right Path California, Protect Voters First and Hold Politicians Accountable.

Dig into them and they lead back to one person — Charles T. Munger Jr. of Palo Alto, son of the late Charles Munger Sr., longtime partner of investor Warren Buffet. Munger Jr. lists his occupation as self-employed physicist and he is a billionaire in his own right, according to a variety of news reports.

According to a campaign finance report filed just a week ago, Munger has donated $10 million to defeat the redistricting measure. A down payment, one would expect.

The pieces have some notable problems, by the way. They lack the legally required Fair Political Practices Commission number identifying the campaign committee that is funding the mail; others contain no funding disclosures, also required by law. One discloses Munger’s sponsorship, but directs voters to the FPPC for “funding details.” Campaign finance reports are filed at the Secretary of State’s office.

This is not just some rich guy’s passing fancy. Without the benefit of actually talking to him, it is clear Munger regards this issue as deeply personal. He was the leading crusader for the 2010 ballot measure that created the state’s independent citizen’s redistricting commission and, presumably, removed the process from the kind of partisan manipulation that is being attempted by Proposition 50.

Munger Jr.’s political roots are embedded in the Peninsula, as is his urge to reform the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn every 10 years after the federal census.

Munger has been a prominent member of the Lincoln Club of Northern California, once the leading sponsor of Republican candidates on the Peninsula, back when local Reeps were moderates. He also is past chair of the Santa Clara County Republican Party.

His local involvement is said to have prompted him to pursue the independent commission. In 2004, Munger Jr. was a supporter of Republican Steve Poizner, who ran for a vacant Assembly seat against then-Redwood City Councilmember Ira Ruskin. Ruskin won by a mere 3.2%. Longtime Peninsula GOP strategist Luis Buhler, told the New York Times, “(Munger) saw in that race that the way that district was drawn prevented the election of a man he thought was much better qualified. That was really the first time he realized how it all worked.”

It is true that the district was 44.8% Democrat, 27.5% Republican, and that Poizner ran 10 points ahead of the GOP registration. But it all “works” in many ways, not the least of which was that Ruskin was 7 points ahead of Dem registration, he was a well-established elected official, speaking of qualifications, and Poizner was an unknown tech gazillionaire making his first run for office.

Anyway, I guess we can thank the late Ruskin for lighting a fire under Munger Jr.

No fires need to be lit now. Eight months into the second Trump administration, Democrats say this is the only politically intelligent response to a president they think is burning the country down. Or, at least the Constitution.

“We have the proverbial five-alarm fire when it comes to our democracy,” U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin said on The Game podcast I co-host (TheGamePeninsula.com). The Democrats must take control of the House of Representatives in 2026 so that they can be a “check on Donald Trump’s authoritarian power. … We are in a pitched battle for the soul of democracy.”

Expect Republicans to see it the same way, albeit from a different perspective.

Knowing what is at stake, the political question, always, is who will show up in an off-year special election with, potentially, only this item on the ballot.

Data shows declines in Democratic voter registration and GOP gains across the country. California is no exception: Democratic registration is down more than 1.5% and Republican registration is up almost 1.5%.

Still, California is overwhelmingly blue: 45.3% Dem to 25.2 Reep. And, as we have witnessed in the last several months, a lot of angry people are looking for something to do about Trump besides standing on a street corner, holding a funny sign.