
People must act to fix a broken state government
By By Dick Dickerson
Sunday, July 26, 2009
California government is broken.
The failure to adopt a sustainable budget is only the most obvious manifestation of a dysfunctional state government. The State is not investing in the future, whether in needed infrastructure, economic development, or in education. New laws and regulations are piled on without balancing cost against any clear added value. Long-term implications of current actions are ignored. Urgent current problems go unaddressed. The inherent strength of community level governments is dissipated.
Some say that "politics has failed us." Others focus on the failure of the structure of government and the institutional rules within which State Government operates. Whatever the perspective, it is clear that there must be a new and better way of governing a large, complex and dynamic state.
Above is the opening statement presented to more than 500 local elected officials at the recent Summit on State Governance and Fiscal Reform.
Frustration with the clearly demonstrated inability of the state Legislature and administration to effectively govern the state was the theme of the two-day workshop. This frustration is shared by California voters. The results of a poll of likely voters reported at the summit indicated that 81 percent of those polled believe that California is on the wrong track. The Legislature has a 75 percent disapproval rating. Only 7 percent could name their state senator. Poll respondents overwhelmingly believe that the main causes of the state budget deficit are overspending, partisan activity and special-interest groups.
Yes, California government is broken. The question is how can it be fixed. At the summit, a wide range of principles and reform options were discussed.
Because this was a meeting of local elected officials, the main emphasis of the discussion was the relationship between state and local governments. Protecting local revenue sources, state pre-emption of local control, protection from state mandates and the two-thirds vote on taxes and the budget were hot topics, and of major concern. However, in my opinion, the one area discussed with the most promise for true overarching success is to reform the state Legislature. We must look at how members are elected, as well as how they conduct the peoples' business when in office.
The leadership of both parties exercise almost absolute power over their members, who are concerned not about public policy but about the next election. If they don't toe the party line members, they will not receive support and in fact will be targeted for removal. How can this culture promote good governments?
Here are a few suggestions on reform:
Geographical redistricting, not political redistricting.
Open primaries.
Remove term limits from members and impose them on leadership positions.
Make the parties more dependent on each other through shared leadership in committees.
Increase transparency by imposing the Brown Act provisions on all meetings including caucuses and Big Five negotiations.
If we can compel both legislative houses to work together in an open and public manner, many current problems will be resolved and future problems avoided. The above suggestions are only the tip of the iceberg of what needs to be done. Much more work is necessary.
How can we do this? At the summit we heard from those who want a constitutional convention and from the California Forward group, which advocates the initiative process.
There is so much pressure to fix California that in the coming weeks and months, one of those options will prevail.
On the local level, here in Shasta County, we must rally public support for reform. This letter is my effort to begin that process. I will call on the Redding City Council to sponsor public forums on this issue and encourage other jurisdictions to do the same.
There is no doubt that we have a broken state government, and there is no doubt that only the people can fix it.
Dick Dickerson is a Redding city councilman.

