Goldberg for Assembly!

Today a group of Sacramento organizations came out with a term limits extension proposal that would go on the ballot if the Legislature can't find the guts to do it themselves. A PPIC Study and the editorial boards throughout the state have come out for a fix to our stupid term limits.

But the best thing about an extension of term limits as currently written by this Sacramento coalition is the ability for true progressives to find their way back to the Assembly. Termed out members who are real champions for immigrant rights, civil rights, gay marriage, the environment and labor would be able to challenge some of the lesser-known and less experienced incumbents.

The great hope would be if Jackie Goldberg, who was slighted by the Speaker in 2006, chose to run for her Assembly seat in 2008 once she has the right to another six years. She clearly would have the community support and would be able to raise the volunteers and money necessary to win.

This would also allow Dario Frommer to run again in the 43rd AD, for Bermudez to run in the 56th, Ed Chavez to run against Ed Hernandez, and there would probably be dozens of similar situations throughout the state that I just don't know about. Admittedly, these aren't all big wins for progressives, but getting someone like Jackie back into elected office would be worth it!

Not to be Overshadowed

Fabian Nunez got his chance at center-stage last night, joining Leiber and Levine in the national parody of the State Legislature.

It is always fun to poke fun at our elected officials, and they give us plenty of material, but you've got to wonder how this affects the important work they are trying to complete, and the things that are only important to them, like extending term limits.

Good liberals agree that we need to do something to improve the legislature. The post-term limits environment has coincided with the appalling lack of leadership in Sacramento. You know something is up when the greatest accomplishments are passing measures that place things on the ballot, the equivalent of taking credit for passing the buck.

But look at the ethnic and gender diversity of the Legislature and you can see some positive changes. Legislators seemingly care more about appealing to their constituents than working on their racquetball game with the chair of the Ways and Means committee. If term limits are extended, we should ensure that there is continued incentive for legisltors to care about the voters in their district, and additional pathways for all kinds of people to obtain elected office.

The best shot for a term limits extension would be to put a pure version on the ballot. Starting in 2008, all newly elected legislators would be bound to the same 14 years total, but could serve them all in one house. Going beyond 14 years would have a hard time on the ballot, and allowing current members to benefit from the extension would be too self-serving.

Unfortunately, the current proposals being discussed would be cast as a 12-year limit, but allow some current Senators to receive up to 16 years. It would also allow all current members to be grandfathered-in. This will doom the proposal and probably kill future term-limits changes for the next decade.

So, here's a prescription for the Legislature. Get Serious. Stop writing the scripts for Comedy Central and SNL. Focus on the health care crisis, education, transportation, prison reform, and put your own visions of extended terms on the back-burner for now - at least until after you've shed the label of National Joke.

Parody Me!

This was a great last couple days for the Legislature's public relations efforts. First Saturday Night Live took a stab at Sally Leiber's spanking bill, then on Monday night Lloyd Levine made #5 on the Colbert Report's Threat Down.

It seems that these Assemblymembers are following the media truism that "any press is good press," but doesn't it seem like they're fiddling around with this kind of nonsense while thousands of homeless are stuck on the street, millions of our kids don't have a shred of economic opportunity, our healthcare system is broken, and real global warming solutions (like getting rid of SUVs and funding public transportation) are going unaddressed?


Sure, I got one hell of a laugh out of these. And I understand that it is important for legislators to make symbolic moves to draw the public attention, but at what point are they just making a joke out of our state legislature and diminishing the role of public service?

An Inconvienent 13%

The National Journal reportsthat only 13% of Congressional Republicans believe Global Warming is caused by humans.

Would love to know the percentage that still think tobacco is non-addictive!

This has got to be some of the strongest evidence for the continued need for Democrats to build their majority in Congress. 2006 was an amazing election year, but armed with stats like these, we should be able to nationalize the congressional elections once again and build our Senate Majority. Could use a few extra congressional members too!

Ban Childless Marriages

Gay Rights Activists are taking the battle to the next level - protecting real heterosexual marriages from the threat of non-procreating couples who make a mockery of marriage by staying childless!

Good for them!

From the Seattle Times:

A group of gay-marriage supporters could begin collecting signatures today for a November ballot initiative that would limit marriage in Washington to couples willing and able to have children.

The measure would also dissolve the union of those who remain childless three years after marrying.

Now, some may see this as another opportunity for parody, or a parody in-of-itself. Either way, it does take a stab at the argument that Gays shouldn't be able to marry because it is unnatural.

Just how natural or purposeful is a heterosexual marriage, with an average lifespan of seven years, that does not make a contribution to the next generation of rugrats and ungrateful teens?

Everyone On Board or Perfect Storm?

What is driving us to the early primary, besides the good-natured desire to draw the national campaigns to state issues?

A big part of it is a redistricting proposal, which gets an amazing analysis from the California Progress Report.

But the real Crux of the Biscut is the adjustment of term limits. This adjustment would come just in time for Speaker Nunez and about 20 other termed out legislators. They are careful to avoid calling this an "extension" of term limits - pointing to the new 12 years, rather than the 14 years possible under the current limits.

Redistricting / Term Limits / Early Primary - three sides of a very viable political triangle. At first blush, this looks like a done deal. But is it?

Problem #1: What about Senate Pro Tem Don Perata? Would they have to give him 16 years under the proposal to earn his vote? Doesn't that kill the term limits proposal?

Problem #2: What about Congress? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn't going to want to gamble with Congressional Districts - and would Republicans in the legislature support a proposal that carved out the juicy congressional districts - allowing Demos to draw some protection for Pelosi?

Problem #3: Nunez is giving up the power of redistricting for the longshot chance to earn some extra terms. But the most likely result is that term-limits would fail, and redistricting would pass. He is gambling the ability of Freshmen legislators to draw lines in 2011, in hopes of giving himself an extension. The only real loser would be the legislators he would leave behind.

These problems suggest that the Speaker wouldn't have the Republican votes to get out a proposal that would be supported by the House Speaker and Califronia Congressional Delegation. Nor would it be possible for him to construct something that earns the suport of termed-out Senators without actually EXTENDING term limits. Even if he could construct something on redistricting, what happens when Freshman legislators realize that they're the only ones that can be the losers in the deal?

Note: One rumor has the legislature extending term limits for the Governor, which I presume would only come if he changed party registration.

Less is More in 2008

State leaders are moving in unison to bring the 2008 Primary Election into February - providing the state's progressives a chance to actually impact the national election. Speaker Nunez is on board, as he discusses in this Sacramento Bee article. Clearly this would have a huge impact on the national primaries. One presidential campaign staffer told me "Come Feburary 5th, it's OVER!"

But now the California Majority Report informs us that we are actually going to get dinged by the Democratic Party. I have no idea how these rules work, but as suggested by Steve Maviglio, this is a good trade for Democrats who want to impact the national election.