Marc Berman: 'I Don't Know Why My Republican Colleagues Are So Afraid Of The Voters Of California'

Forbes Breaking News

During a California State Assembly hearing on Tuesday, California State Rep. Marc Berman spoke about the importance of redistricting in California.

Transcript

00:00Assemblymember Berman. Yeah, I'll make some comments that I was going to make at the end of my presentation, but didn't in the

00:07to save everyone some time. But it was said by the vice chair of the committee that there is no emergency.

00:14And I would urge everybody to wake up.

00:18If you don't think that our democracy is currently under attack.

00:22If you don't think that the president of the United States getting elections, getting democracy advice from Vladimir Putin,

00:29isn't an emergency, and then bragging about it on national TV.

00:34If you don't think that the president of the United States calling elections officials in Georgia

00:38and asking those Republican elections officials to find him 12,000 votes isn't an emergency.

00:44If you don't think that this president of the United States will continue to attack our democracy over and over and over again

00:51if we let him isn't an emergency, you're not paying attention.

00:55And whether it's for your side or my side doesn't matter.

00:59This is our democracy we're talking about.

01:02And the president of the United States has shown zero interest in democracy.

01:07He has shown only interest in power.

01:09And if California doesn't finally push back on these constant attempts to erode our societal norms,

01:17to erode our democracy, we won't have an America to fight for in the future.

01:23And we're there.

01:24I don't like to be hyperbolic.

01:26It's not really my style.

01:27But if you don't think that the fate of our democracy is at stake.

01:32When the president of the United States demands, says that he's entitled to five Republican congressional districts.

01:39And unlike those Republican elections officials in Georgia who had a spine and a moral compass and said,

01:47no, Mr. President, that's wrong.

01:49And we are not going to do that.

01:51That doesn't exist in the Republican Party in 2025.

01:54The only answer from Republicans in 2025 is, yes, Mr. President, how can I jump higher?

02:00Yes, Mr. President, how can I bow lower at your feet?

02:05So there is no check.

02:07There is no check on this president of the United States, especially when he's got an absolutely compliant majority in the House and the Senate.

02:15And that's what he's trying to keep into perpetuity by rigging elections in Texas and other states.

02:20And that's what we're fighting back on in California.

02:25And we're going to put it to voters and give California voters the opportunity.

02:30Do you want to fight back on these power grabs by President Trump and Republicans in other states?

02:36Who then make decisions that destroy communities in California, that rip away Medi-Cal from 3.5 million Californians.

02:45And what do our nine Republican Congress members do?

02:47Do they defend their constituents?

02:49The constituents know when they know that hundreds of thousands of their constituents are going to lose health care.

02:55Tens of thousands of their constituents are going to lose food stamps.

02:59Free and reduced meals at lunch.

03:01A lot of the things at school.

03:03A lot of the things that generations of Californians have been able to depend on.

03:07And those things are being taken away.

03:10And if that doesn't scare the hell out of you, I don't know what will.

03:14So the emergency is here.

03:16It's a 10 o'clock, 10 alarm fire.

03:18And that's what we're responding to and we need to respond to today.

03:24And to the point of the timing, I think the timing sucks.

03:28But when we broke for recess, Texans weren't talking about rigging their election for the next decade.

03:34Voters are going to have 74 days to review these maps.

03:40Voters, California voters are going to get the chance to vote on these maps.

03:45And California voters will decide whether or not we enact these maps or not.

03:50I can't think of a more democratic process than that.

03:54I don't know why my Republican colleagues are so afraid of the voters of California.

03:58So let's get it.

03:59Let's put it.

04:00Let's put it to the voters in California.

04:01Let's give them an opportunity to decide.

04:03Are they tired of President Trump attacking California over and over again?

04:08Are they tired of Republican Congress members in California constantly bowing down to the president instead of standing up for them or not?

04:16And that's the chance that they're going to get.

04:18And that's the beauty of this process.

04:19That's the beauty of the opportunity that they're going to have on November 4th.

04:24So I want to thank my colleague, the elections chair in the Senate for bringing forward this bill.

04:28I want to thank my colleague, the elections chair of the assembly for for joint authoring it.

04:33And I'm happy to support it.

04:34I'll move the bill.

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