LACDP Chair Mark Ramos' statement following the passage of Prop 50

November 5, 2025

      

Contact: Andres Molina

Email: [email protected]

 

LACDP Chair Mark Ramos' statement following the passage of Prop 50

LOS ANGELES COUNTY --

Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) Chair Mark Ramos has released the following statement following the passage of Prop 50.

“Yesterday, Californians lit a fire for democracy. Voters stood up and said enough to rigged maps and broken promises. The Los Angeles County Democratic Party is proud to have contributed to this historic victory, proof of what we can accomplish when we organize, mobilize, and refuse to back down. Prop 50 is more than a win; it’s a vow to defend our democracy with everything we’ve got. This victory belongs to every organizer, volunteer, and voter who refused to give up on a fairer future. We did this and we’re just getting started!”

 - - - - -

#TrumpCheck - The Lies About Trump's Ballroom

Welcome back to our #TrumpCheck series, the LACDP's weekly newsletter that holds the Trump administration accountable for its lies, deception, and self-serving actions. 

The government has now been shut down for 30 days. That's 30 days that TSA employees and air traffic controllers have been working without pay. 30 days that members of the GOP-controlled Congress get paychecks to feed their families, unlike so many others. 

However, this hasn't stopped the newest self-indulgent project in D.C., Trump has begun construction on a 90,000 sqft ballroom to replace the East Wing of the White House. For context, the White House itself is only 55,000 sqft. 

If this doesn't strike enough of a 'Hunger Games Capitol' chord with you yet, EBT benefits are set to expire on November 1st, which will leave 1 in 8 Americans without food.

Read on as we unpack what's really going on in Washington, while Trump tries to build a new throne to look down on democracy from. 

---

• On July 31st, a statement from the White House lamented how "For 150 years, Presidents, Administrations, and White House Staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex that can hold substantially more guests than currently allowed. President Donald J. Trump has expressed his commitment to solving this problem on behalf of future Administrations and the American people."

FACT: The 'American people' are NOT fans of this plan. New polling shows that 61% of Americans are against the plan to build the ballroom in the place of the East Wing, and almost two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as President. 

---

• Last week, the White House released a fact sheet outlining details of the ballroom construction project, describing it as "a bold, necessary addition that echoes the storied history of improvements and additions from commanders-in-chief to keep the executive residence as a beacon of American excellence."

FACT: Nothing about the ballroom plan is in line with the construction history of the White House. 

"All the changes after 1942 have been limited to the interior ... And the ones on the exterior either involved simple restoration or minor site additions like the tennis court and the pavilion, which are limited by their scope, size and visibility to have any negative impact on the historic building," said Priya Jain, the chair of the Society of Architectural Historians' Heritage Conservation Committee to NPR on October 22.

---

• An October 20 Truth Social post from Trump praised that "I am honored to be the first President to finally get this much-needed project underway — with zero cost to the American Taxpayer! The White House Ballroom is being privately funded by many generous Patriots, Great American Companies, and, yours truly."

FACT: Senate Democrats are already launching probes into the cost, permitting, and funding of the ballroom. 

Trump's tech buddies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Lockheed Martin, and Meta, as well as international billionaires, have already made contributions to the new ballroom, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest or quid pro quos. 

Trump has been focused on raising $300 million for his ego project, even as millions prepare to go hungry without food stamps. 

---

This is NOT the America that Los Angeles believes in.

We need to fight back, and now is the time.

We all need to vote YES ON 50!

Voting is the #1 tool that Americans have against MAGA.

We all have the chance to vote 'yes' on Proposition 50, an anti-Trump proposition that allows California to combat Trump's takeover of Congress. Prop 50 evens the playing field and keeps power with the voters to decide what happens in the midterm elections. 

So make your voting plan here, or fill out your mail-in ballots today!

The next step in standing up to the Trump administration is setting the record straight; correcting misinformation is a job for us all. If you had this email forwarded, you can sign up for the #TrumpCheck newsletter here. 

In Solidarity,  

Team LACDP 

#TrumpCheck - The Lies About 'No Kings'

Welcome back to our #TrumpCheck series, the LACDP's weekly newsletter that holds the Trump administration accountable for its lies, deception, and self-serving actions. 

We took a little end-of-summer break to focus on our Prop. 50 outreach efforts and to gear up for Election Day... and now we are back and better than ever! 

Fall is in full swing, with the days getting shorter and the leaves starting to change color. Another feature of the season... threats of a government shutdown. 

The modern budget process of Congress was established in 1976, creating a fiscal year for the federal government that begins on October 1st and runs through September 30th of the next year. 

In the 49 years since that system was designed, the government has shut down, for more than one business day, four times. However, budget debates and threats of a shutdown are nearly as ubiquitous with autumn as pumpkin spice, especially since the dawn of the Trump years almost 10 years ago. 

Today, we are here to debunk some of the facts versus fiction about government shutdowns in the United States. 

---

• A White House statement issued today exclaims that "Democrats are threatening to hold government funding hostage to score political points, ignoring the real-world consequences — barreling our country towards a government shutdown if Republicans don’t adhere to their roughly $1.5 trillion wish list."

FACT: The '$1.5 trillion wish list' that Trump is referring to is the Democrats' demand for protections to healthcare, including tax credits that lower the cost of healthcare through the Affordable Care Act. 

There is no research to indicate that this would cost $1.5 trillion. 

As for the Democrats "ignoring the real-world consequences"... The Republicans are the ones threatening jobs. The threat of permanent job losses for federal workers impacted by a shutdown "marks a significant break from how shutdowns have been handled in recent decades, when most furloughs were temporary and employees were brought back once Congress voted to reopen government and funding was restored," as reported by Politico. 

---

• Republicans have threatened to eliminate entire sectors of the federal staff if a shutdown does occur. Politico released a memo from The Office of Management and Budget, in which they state their plan to "move to permanently reduce the government workforce if there is a shutdown."

FACT: According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, "a government shutdown does not provide the Administration any additional legal authority to fire federal employees."

The stated plans to eliminate government staff in the event of a shutdown are illegal. 

---

• This morning, Trump blamed the potential for a government shutdown on the 'unreasonable demands' of Democrats: “This is all caused by the Democrats, they asked us to do something unreasonable,” adding that “this is what [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer wants, this is what the Democrats want.”

FACT: On Tuesday, Trump canceled a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

In a Truth Social post, the President announced that "I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive." 

“By refusing to even sit down with Democrats, Donald Trump is causing the shutdown. This is a Trump shutdown," Schumer said, as reported by Politico. 

“Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency — it’s clear they have decided to shut the government down, which is why they’ve entered into no good faith conversations with Democrats to try to reach a resolution,” said Jeffries separately on Tuesday.

How can Trump form his opinions on the Democrats' demands when he won't even speak with them about it?

---

Whether the government gets shut down or not, we still have power, and we need to use it. Help us fight back, Democrats. You can check your voter registration status here. Voting is the #1 tool that Americans have against MAGA. The next step in standing up to the Trump administration is setting the record straight; correcting misinformation is a job for us all. If you had this email forwarded, you can sign up for the #TrumpCheck newsletter here. 

Stay safe, stay strong, and keep up the good fight, Democrats. 

We'll be back at defending the truth next week. Until then, stay tuned to our social media channels, linked below, for updates on the LACDP's fight against Trump.

In Solidarity,  

Team LACDP