[Sosfbay-discuss] Los Angeles Times Editorial: California Needs a Constitutional Convention

[alexcathy at aol.com]

It is a pity that Peter Miguel Camejo did not live to see
this. Every major newspaper in the state now agrees that the Green
Party candidate for governor's warnings way back in 2003 about a
"dysfunctional, money-dominated, winner-take-all system" of so-called
conservative Republicans and so-called liberal Democrats were
prophetic. 







Two days after the special election, the lead editorial in 
The Los Angeles Times calls for a state constitutional convention: 







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Los Angeles Times Editorial: California Needs a State Constitutional Convention





Rebooting Sacramento by rewriting the state's
Constitution seems to be the only way to move beyond financially broke
and politically broken.


May 21, 2009






California is stuck. Schools are about to lay off teachers. Prisons are
about to release inmates. Historic assets are on the block. Initiatives
confuse. Revolts fail. No amount of electing and reelecting people who
promise to fix things seems able to move us forward. It's time to
reboot.







There have been calls for months now to convene a state
constitutional convention and, in essence, start over. It's a good
idea. The state Constitution runs to two fat volumes in print and is
padded each year by new voter initiatives or legislative propositions.
In the end, it's just a document. It's not the enemy. But retooling is
one necessary step to make the state function better. 






Of course, all kinds of things can go wrong. How would delegates be
picked? Would unions control a convention, or union-busters, or
Proposition 8 advocates or opponents? A poorly structured convention or
one populated by self-interested fringe delegates could do more harm
than good. Every care must be given to the details, and it is essential
to include in the initiative that authorizes a convention -- alas,
there must be a ballot measure -- restrictions on what it would be
allowed to address. 






One benefit: A convention could push the Legislature to accept deeper,
more far-reaching reforms than it might otherwise. One provocative
notion being floated by the reform group California Forward would
devolve decision-making on taxing and spending back to counties and
cities, realigning the relationship between state and local government.
In another year, lawmakers might scoff at the prospect. Fear of a
convention may encourage ingenuity. 






The Bay Area Council, which is leading the charge for a convention, has
put "proportional representation" in the Legislature at the top of its
wish list. Interesting choice. We're curious to see whether voters
already angry at Tuesday's barely comprehensible ballot measures will
embrace something quite so cutting-edge.






No convention -- in fact, no statewide fix -- will work if it
consists simply of one interest group's shopping list. The Times has
made no secret of its position against the two-thirds legislative
threshold for tax increases and budgets, and we will keep pushing to
overturn it. But the point is to get more ideas on the table. 






Prepare for the season of reform and reinvention. A tax reform
commission is to release its report in July. Political parties and
candidates will focus on next year's gubernatorial election. It's not
time to back away from government; it's time to engage it, and change
it. Over the coming weeks and months, this page will not be shy about
asking questions and offering suggestions. Bring on the ideas. Bring on
the convention. 









Read the Original Editorial at: 


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-convention21-2009may21,0,4920003.story







Also Leave a Comment on my blog at: 


http://cagreening.blogspot.com/





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