As polls are open for California’s special election, some Boyle Heights residents see it as their chance to personally take a stand against the policies of President Donald Trump.
For Luis Garcia Vazquez, of Boyle Heights, that means voting yes on Proposition 50, which, if passed, would temporarily redraw California’s congressional maps to help Democrats win more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Latinos, he said, are being “exploited” under the current White House administration.
“The people have to choose what is best for the people,” said Garcia Vazquez, 71.
Garcia Vazquez is among the Angelenos who are voting in person in Boyle Heights after pop-up vote centers were made available in the neighborhood beginning Nov. 1. The vote centers were set up near Mariachi Plaza, in the parking area of the Boyle Heights City Hall, and at the Boyle Heights Senior Center.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk announced the addition of pop-up polling locations on Monday, Oct. 27, after Boyle Heights Beat reported that no polling places were made available in Boyle Heights for the Nov. 4 statewide special election. InnerCity Struggle, a Boyle Heights-based group that conducts voter outreach in the Eastside, discovered the community’s lack of vote centers on Oct. 17 while reviewing the LA County Vote Centers map.
This would have required that Boyle Heights residents travel to East LA, downtown LA or another Eastside neighborhood for their nearest vote center.
Garcia Vazquez lauded California Gov. Gavin Newsom for launching the effort behind Proposition 50 after the Texas state legislature approved new maps that would give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections.
“He’s a good person,” said Garcia Vazquez, who voted on Monday at the vote center on the grounds of Boyle Heights City Hall.
The special election is happening amid federal immigration raids that have terrorized LA and as residents turned to assistance from food pantries due to a pause in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the federal shutdown.
The No on 50 campaign, which is largely backed by Republicans, argues it would split communities of color — including Latino and Asian communities — and weaken their representation. But a nonpartisan analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) found that it wouldn’t change Californians’ representation much, according to CalMatters.
Leading up to Nov. 4, InnerCity Struggle hosted a “Perreo to the Polls” parade Monday evening from El Sereno Park to the voting center at Barrio Action. Participants waved glow sticks and held signs that read, “Vamos a VOTAR!” Tacos and live music were part of the celebration.
A steady stream of people stopped by Boyle Heights City Hall to vote Monday morning, including elders, one with his small dog in tow, and younger people who arrived with their friends.
Jessica Rosales, 20, was among the voters at Boyle Heights City Hall. “It was such a quick process,” Rosales said.
She said she voted yes for Proposition 50.
President Donald Trump, Rosales said, “needs to be held accountable for everything that he’s done.”
Rosales said she became aware of the measure through commercials featuring former President Barack Obama and Newsom, who she said, “wants to do better for our community.”
She showed up to the polling place with her 6-month-old daughter and friend, Jaylene Torres, 20, who voted earlier in favor of Proposition 50 at the vote center near Mariachi Plaza.
“Our president is very inept at the moment, considering what they’ve done to the White House and put off benefits for low-income, those in poverty,” she said. “I wanted that to change with my vote.”
Josie Arredondo Herrera voted after picking up free vegetables from inside City Hall on Monday. “I find it very convenient,” she said of the pop-up vote center.
Arredondo Herrera became informed on Proposition 50 through conversations with Monsignor John Moretta at Resurrection Catholic Church in East LA. Moretta, she said, “has shown us faithfully how he follows God’s path, and I follow what’s right for God and what’s right for the people.”
She voted in favor of the proposition.
“I want to make a difference for the people that need the help, including myself. I want to do anything that I can to put a block on the president taking away our ability to survive,” Arredondo Herrera said.
Esperanza Diaz, 79, made sure to stop by City Hall to vote. She’s been voting since she became a U.S. citizen more than 15 years ago.
“I don’t like voting by mail. I like to vote in person,” she said.
She said the special election is important “because of the things that are happening,” including the immigration raids. The president, she said, “is out of control.”
