# Charles Munger Jr. Reclusive California Republican political donor, experimental physicist, and son of Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charles T. Munger Sr. ([[Charlie Munger]], 1924–2023). Holds a Ph.D. in atomic physics from UC Berkeley (1987); worked as an experimental physicist at the **Stanford Linear Accelerator Center** before transitioning into political philanthropy. The most consistent single donor to **California redistricting reform** for the past two decades — and as of 2025, the largest single funder opposed to [[Gavin Newsom]]'s **Proposition 50** mid-decade redraw. ## Pre-2025 redistricting reform record Munger was the primary financial sponsor of two foundational California ballot measures: - **Proposition 11 (2008)** — created the **California Citizens Redistricting Commission**, removing legislative-district map-drawing from the legislature. - **Proposition 20 (2010)** — extended the commission's authority to U.S. House districts. Munger contributed $12.1M+ to the Yes campaign, the largest single donor. By September 2025 his combined cash and in-kind contributions to California redistricting-reform measures exceeded **$44.4 million**. His public framing is procedural rather than partisan: *"I'm doing this to try to ensure voters have fair districts where representatives will compete for offices. Elected politicians are picking the voters, voters aren't picking their representatives."* ## 2025 Prop 50 opposition When Newsom proposed **Proposition 50** in July 2025 to suspend the Citizens Commission and let the legislature draw a Democratic-favorable map for the 2026–2030 cycle, Munger funded the No campaign. He contributed **~$33 million of the ~$44 million** raised by opponents — roughly three-quarters of the entire opposition war chest. The Yes campaign, backed by Newsom, Obama, AOC, and Clinton, raised ~$120M. Prop 50 passed **64.4%–35.6%** on **2025-11-04** with 8M+ ballots cast, ending Munger's 17-year track record of winning California redistricting fights and replacing the citizens-commission map he had personally funded into existence with a one-cycle legislative gerrymander projected to net Democrats five House seats. (The citizens' commission resumes authority after the 2030 cycle.) See [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] for the full Prop 50 sequence. ## Related - [[Gavin Newsom]] — primary 2025 antagonist on Prop 50 - [[Redistricting Timeline 2025-2026]] — California-specific entries (Prop 50 ballot measure)