California, the Golden State, is literally falling apart. The streets, freeways, levees, and even the water distribution system are all breaking apart. The Los Angeles Times reported 34 breaks in the Los Angeles city water distribution system. Add to that the deteriorating educational system, the high taxes, the over budget government systems (city of Los Angeles and state government), and the legislative deadlocks and you begin to understand the depth of our turmoil.
The city and state districting has been so gerrymandered that there is little opportunity to unseat incumbent legislators without an extraordinary uprising of the electorate.
District boundaries are merely a symptom of the overall management of California. Republicans and Democrats have carved up the state in a manner that ensures that when an incumbent retires his successor will be in the same party.
Two examples help to tell the story: 1. The 30th congressional district held by Henry Waxman. His primary constituency is West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, and all the immediately adjoining areas. For reasons that will forever remain a mystery his district boundary includes the west end of the San Fernando Valley.
2. The second and sixth council districts in Los Angeles are a perfect example of the no reasonable districting philosophy that has invaded cities as well as state districting nonsense. Clearly these districts were devised to ensure the re-election of candidates based upon the ethnic backgrounds of the constituents rather than neighborhood needs.
The state constitution has 522 amendments and is 110 pages long. To make it useable the regulations in the constitution have been organized into topic “codes” to enable understandability. Many laws have been included in the constitution rather than simple state law to prevent them from being overturned. Thus the Public Housing Project Law is Article 34.
To pass a budget in the state legislature requires 2/3 vote. Thus 1/3 of the legislature controls the budgetary process. Only two other states have this requirement. It is the reason that budgets are rarely passed before their due date. The result is this year’s issuance of I.O.U.s by the state treasurer.
It is the same reason that bond issues are approved by the voters rather than the legislature. The same reason a typical state wide ballot has 10 to 12 initiatives. The legislature can’t agree on most laws and puts the questions to voters who usually lack adequate information to make wise decisions. Voters are influenced by special interest groups that spread lots of lies.
BusinessWeek has just reported that a new state commission to recommend an overhaul the tax system has been established by the legislature. The legislature will abdicate its responsibility and the plan will appear on a future ballot. Voters, with limited knowledge, will be encouraged to vote yes or no by various special interest groups that will try to frighten the public. It’s how this state got into so much trouble by using initiatives to pass property tax regulations, governance laws, bond initiatives, and other laws that should have been determined by the legislature. That is a group that has refused to take responsibility.
The solution is a state constitutional convention. The Bay Area Council, a business group in San Francisco that includes the surrounding bay area, has taken on the leadership role in this endeavor. Through a group called Repair California they have been holding town hall meetings throughout the state and have met with the editorial boards of many newspapers for their support. The Los Angeles Times has become an enthusiastic supporter of this idea. They have published six editorials supporting the idea of a constitutional convention. The first of those editorials appeared on August 16, 2009. The most recent appeared on September 20, 2009.
Moving to Oregon is not an option for me. We have to get this done.
Coast Contact 
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