Change Reform We Can Believe In?

by Annie Scott
March 16, 2010

Here’s what’s going on in a land far away but not so far apart from the Mitten …

Amidst a Sacramento firestorm and Hollywood-caliber melodrama, a California judge had to rule the other day on whether a future ballot initiative calling for open primaries (Prop 14) should be labeled as “reform” or merely “change.”

There were a few other words in dispute, too. But the political war over reform/change was way over the top, yet another reflection of the acrimony and dysfunction in the state capital.

How could the meanings of reform/change set off such a spectacle?

The short answer — you don’t want the long one — is that the open-primaries “reform” proposal, or Prop 14, came from a state senator who is one of the few moderate Republicans left in town. The legal challenge came from the solidly Democratic California School Employees Association, which claimed Prop 14 doesn’t constitute “real” reform and shouldn’t be allowed to deceive voters in November. It sued to switch “reform” to “change.”

The Democratic-controlled legislature had put Prop 14 on the ballot as part of a wretched budget deal hated by all. And since they didn’t really like it anyway, the Dems, as soon as they found out about the school employees’ legal challenge, advised the state’s lawyers not to fight the measure they themselves had put on the ballot. Which touched off another round of accusations, name calling and games playing.

The judge ultimately ruled in favor of “reform.” But while the proposition’s backers decried the wording to be a make-or-break factor, most of the people I’ve talked to don’t seem to think it will have any effect on the way they vote.

This is just the latest brouhaha in the Golden State’s quest to reform its failing system of governance. It’s getting a little ridiculous. The People are clamoring for big improvements, not big drama.

Indeed, there is widespread agreement that the system is broken. Exhibit A: the disastrous budget hole. Exhibit B: the pervasive gridlock and absurd, hyper-partisan bickering. C: the still-faltering economy. D: the fact the legislature has failed to pass a budget on-time in 22 of the last 30 years. There is a full alphabet’s worth of alarming, pathetic examples of the state’s failings and flaws.

Fortunately, there’s an abundance of ideas from every sector on the best ways to fix these complex problems. Unfortunately, California’s efforts for reform have gotten stuck in the old one-step-forward-two-steps-back routine.

In case you haven’t been following the latest happenings in the wild west, here’s a basic rundown on the state’s race for reform.

In February the long-shot campaign to call a limited Constitutional Convention was put on hold indefinitely due to a lack of cash. Coalition groups that led the charge, such as Repair California and California Forward, had to wave the white flag and settle for pushing more incremental changes for the time being. Despite widespread Con-Con support among The People of California, proponents just couldn’t raise the millions of dollars needed to get their proposals on the ballot. Many potential deep-pocket funders were more content with the status quo.

Then, there was the excitement over the state’s new Citizens Redistricting Commission. Thanks to the successful passage of Proposition 11 on the November 2008 ballot, the new 14 citizen commissioners will take over the legislature’s former task of redrawing the lines for state Assembly, Senate and State Board of Equalization districts. When applications started rolling in, I thought, finally, a real step toward addressing the culture of uber-partisan-polarity that paralyzes Sacramento. Finally, this may help get more moderates elected so things can get done up there!

I even researched how to apply for a commissioner’s seat. Unfortunately, I was ineligible for several reasons. The goal seems to be finding 14 people in the state who are politically engaged, California-rooted voters yet devoid of a single political tie. Regardless, the idea sounded promising and seemed to be moving forward with real momentum.

Then I heard about Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) and more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress kicking in a total of $160,000 to try to kill the commission in favor of returning this vital task to the legislature, through an initiative called the Financial Accountability in Redistricting Act. You can call it whatever you want, but real people see it as an ugly attempt by those already in power to protect their…seats.

Fortunately, all of this mess, especially the collapse of Con-Con and citizens’ demand for action, has somehow inspired the legislature, after months of holding aimless hearings, to introduce a package of what appear to be real, fundamental reforms. It will take a two-thirds vote of both houses to put the entire package on the November ballot. Included are proposals that would:

• change the budget approval process so that only a simple majority is required instead of the painful two-thirds
• require lawmakers to identify funding sources for any program that costs $25 million or more
• prohibit state government from grabbing local tax revenue when strapped for cash
• rein in the problematic ballot box budgeting by mandating all citizen initiatives specify a funding source
• force legislators to forego their pay if they fail to pass a budget on time
• strengthen legislative oversight of state agencies
• reduce by one-third the number of bills the legislature considers each year.

It’s by no means a perfect package, but it just might be the last good chance for real reform in the near term. If enough Republicans can get on board with Democrats to put it on the ballot, Californians will get the chance to make the call on reforms they’ve been demanding for so long.

There always will be more stumbling blocks that pop up, that’s a given. But for the most part, the wheels are finally in motion here.

I don’t know if that amounts to “reform” or “change,” but I hope we can all agree that it’s progress.

Annie Scott lives and works in San Diego and sends dispatches back to her beloved Michigan.