To: The California State House, The California State Senate, and Governor Gavin Newsom
california referrendum change - force the legislature to do its job
The referrendem system in California, while giving significant power to the people, makes it virtually futile for the Legislature and the experts to consider and pass budgets and Legislation, since what actually happens is dictated by popular vote, usually dictated by the same lobbies that pay for the commercials that everyone fears is buying the state senate. Issues should be allowed popular vote, but only after being examined and voted on by the Legislature. In order to forestall partisan bickering paralysis, a time limit should be placed on the vote once citizens raise the petition signitures required for a vote now, and not only should it go to election if the Legislature fails to addresss it, they should have their and their staff's pay suspended, with no back pay, until the issue has been resolved in the Senate or by referrendum. In the case of the general budget, the pay should be suspended, and if a failure to vote or compromise leads to a shutdown of any state office or service due to lack of a budget...every sitting member of the Legislature and the Governor should be inelgible for re-election the following term. Any single individual voted by the Legislature as the cause of an inability to pass a state budget, considered first by the legislature and only elgible for modification by refferendum after a passed budget and a new petition still unhappy with the legislature's decision, should be inelgible permenently for re-election. A recall of sitting Legislators should come before a referendum that effects budget, to encourage them to do their job, and to do it right, instead of being made obsolete by the refferendum system. A statewide vote with enough signitures to get on the ballot in the new system should allow for the removal of any state representative, even outside of their elected district, in order to keep a few corrupt individuals and their very small citizen and very large corporate backings from holding the state legislature hostage, as they are able to do today.
Why is this important?
The current refferndum system both makes it almost impossible for the Legislature to pass budget and legal decisions, because they are almost always either changed or superceded by popular vote, usually more controlled by lobby interests than people fear the Legislators themselves would be, or are. This leaves them free from responsibility, ignores the topic experts, and leaves them free for partsan grandstanding that only hurts the state. Reforming the referrendum system so that it is still posible for the people to change the law, but forcing and penalizing the Legislature for not doing it first, and placing severe penalties on individuals in the Legislature who fail to do their job, should give us better , less partisan, more considered, and more timely change. It should also force them to face the consequences of inaction or poor action more directly themselves, instead of just punishing the people in California. The citizens would still have the right to change laws, but it would be harder, forced to be more considered, hold the Legislators and Governor accountable for inaction, and motivate them to do their jobs instead of waiting to see whatever corporate lobby is going to get passed, making their research and representation almost obsolete, and encouraging partisan grandstanding, which could also be censured or punished by the citizens under the new system.