Quick Take
Santa Cruz County Republican Central Committee Chair Michael Lelieur said that numerous "No on Prop 50" signs have been taken from his yard and other supporters' — something he believes is vandalism and election interference. Prop 50 proponents also say they have had some of their own signs stolen.
Michael Lelieur, chair of the Santa Cruz County Republican Central Committee, said he has had a number of his “No on Prop 50” yard signs stolen, as have several others who had displayed them.
Lelieur said the sign theft equates to vandalism, a violation of free speech and interference in the upcoming November election. “We’ve been posting things on Facebook saying that it’s unconstitutional to violate somebody’s free speech, and pulling out or destroying signs is a violation of free speech,” he said.
California Proposition 50, also called the Election Rigging Response Act, would approve a new, Legislature-drawn congressional district map for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections that favors the Democratic Party more than the map drawn by the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission. It was put on the ballot by the state Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to Texas’ mid-decade redistricting. The Texas Legislature redrew its congressional map earlier this year to add five new districts favoring Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Lelieur said that, in a largely Democratic stronghold like Santa Cruz County, it is particularly frustrating: “If you guys control everything, what are you scared of? If a bunch of Republicans are putting up signs you don’t like looking at, it’s free speech. Do you have to destroy them?”
He said that supporters are still asking him for signs — and probably more so now as the Nov. 4 election draws near. Otherwise, local Republicans will continue to make phone calls urging county residents to vote no on Prop 50.
“We’re not going around touching your signs,” Lelieur said. “Even though some of us probably want to now, that’s not how we roll. We expect the same courtesy.”
Andrew Goldenkranz, former chair of the local Democratic Central Committee, said he’s heard of similar incidents happen to both sides of the political spectrum, including from “five or six” Prop 50 proponents. He said that the sign theft was “nothing organized on our end.”
“I think it’s people getting a little exuberant, but I’m not endorsing it. We believe in playing fair,” he said.
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