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A Tale of Two Speakers of the California Assembly
By David Dayen
d-day
Fabian Nunez hosted his final press conference as speaker yesterday, and began his post-speaker life by offering a series of proposals focused on process issues.
The redistricting component features an independent 17-member "hybrid" commission. No legislators will serve on the panel, with the majority picked randomly from a screened pool with no legislative influence and eight others picked by legislative leaders. Unlike the Voters First initiative that may appear on the November ballot, this proposal requires diversity in every step of the process and puts the Voting Rights Act first and foremost among the criteria in selecting districts. There's also a host of transparency and public input provisions.
The term limits provision is similar to Prop 93, but excludes the provisions that protected many incumbents that drew criticism. It reduces the maximum amount of time a person can serve in the Legislature from 14 years to 12 years, allowing a legislator to serve all their time in one house.
There's also a fundraising blackout period prohibiting campaign contributions to legislators and the Governor from May 15th until the budget is enacted.
These would go up on the ballot for passage by voters in November once they get through the Legislature. There is of course already a redistricting measure that appears to be on its way to the ballot, so it's unclear whether or not this is a "confuse and kill" strategy. But Nuñez said that his hope would be for one redistricting proposal on the ballot.
That's the past; here's the future.
Karen Bass has drawn up a short agenda for her two-year reign as Assembly speaker that begins next week.
There are only three items:
• Balance a state budget that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared is "$20 billion out of whack."
• Create a ballot initiative that would produce $300 million to $500 million annually for foster care programs.
• Restructure California's tax system to make it conform to the modern world. Actually, she wants to create a blue-ribbon commission of "the best and the brightest" to tackle taxes.
That's all.
Foster care programs are Bass' pet issue, but otherwise she's focused on, I have to say, the ACTUAL problem facing California.
We are out of money. Not out of money in theoretical terms, or on a balance sheet somewhere, but physically out of money by August if no budget is enacted. The cash reserves are empty and the revenues aren't coming in. All that matters between now and August is that we put a budget in place that is SUSTAINABLE and, as Bass notes, in line with the modern world. All of this process stuff about redistricting and term limits is what gets pundits and press people all a-twitter, but it's not the problem in California. What Bass is saying without saying it is that we need to end the 2/3 requirement so we can have a legislature that reflects the will of the people. That's the only way we're going to pass a sustainable budget, that's the only way we'll get a 21st-century revenue system. And I believe she knows that.
The governor wants to sell out our future, sell bonds, sell the lottery, hold a fire sale and mortgage California for generations. We should not have to stand for that. Selling off the state to preserve tax cuts for the wealthy is not a "creative" solution. I have no idea how Karen Bass will fare in her 2 1/2 years as Speaker, but I'm now confident that she's at least focused on the right issues.
Dave is a writer, comedian and TV/film editor based in Santa Monica. He is an elected member of the Democratic State Central Committee from the 41st Assembly District. He blogs on state and national politics at http://d-day.blogspot.com/
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