ShareThisFor most of the past two decades, the California Legislature has been under intense criticism for its inability to get anything done. Lawmakers can't get a budget out on time, and they have no idea on how to reach consensus on the biggest issues facing California.But there's one place you won't hear criticism -- from the legislators themselves. They are just fine with a system that guarantees their re-election and they really don't have to perform beyond screeching at the opposing party.So it's acceptable in their world to take extreme positions on health care, water policy or any of the state's other chronic problems. Nothing will happen because Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature won't ever agree on solutions to these problems. Then they can go back and tell their benefactors that they tried but the other side won't budge.And the voters re-elect them. Of course, it's almost impossible to throw them out because of gerrymandered districts.No wonder there's so much frustration among most Californians. They are so turned off to politics that only a tiny fraction of them will vote. Those interested in good government see this lack of civic engagement as a crisis. But it's just fine with the politicians.The public's exasperation with government only empowers politicians. The dwindling number of voters makes it easier for campaign experts to target only those who vote. A little voter manipulation goes a long way.There was a time when California had the best legislative system in the nation. Now it's known for the massive budget deficits it creates.This once-exceptional elective body now has legislative leaders such as Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez of Los Angeles, who has no qualms about using campaign funds for lavish European travel, or Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata of Oakland, who tries to bully everyone he deals with -- well, not the special interests.We don't get much on the other side of the aisle. The main goal of Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines of Clovis and Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill of Modesto is to block the Democrats from raising taxes or getting a budget out on time. Anything else is not in their job description.The idea of these four working together to solve the state's biggest problems is fanciful. The optimists suggest the Legislature will get better under new Democratic leadership. Assembly Member Karen Bass of Los Angeles will be the new speaker, and Sen. Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento will be the new leader in his house.They have been key lieutenants in the current mess and have done their part to promote legislative gridlock. While I hold out hope for a better Legislature under their leadership, I'm beginning to think that we will get more of the same with Bass and Steinberg. That means the special interests -- the teachers union, the gambling tribes, the prison-guards union -- will get their way at the expense of the rest of us.Politics is simply a game for California lawmakers, despite the passionate statements they offer about their commitment to public service. When you hear politicians say that they are in office to give back to the community, they are plotting about ways to make you pay for it.Even those who make a career out of bashing government can't bear to let go of the perks.I offer you Sen. Tom McClintock, the conservative Republican from Southern California who is termed out. Is he going to go off and be a star in private enterprise? Nope. He's running for a congressional seat near Sacramento that's 400 miles from his Senate district.Funny thing about the rules for running for Congress. You don't have to live in the district you represent.Does McClintock worry about a charge of being a carpetbagger? Not a chance. He has a pretty nifty slogan for those who'd even raise the question. The Sacramento Bee reported this statement from McClintock: "I think most people are far more interested in where one stands than where one lives."McClintock, who has been in the Legislature for 22 years, has run unsuccessfully for governor, lieutenant governor and state controller. That pretty much makes him a career politician.We need fewer career politicians and more public officials committed to solving problems instead of being roadblocks.Here's my hope for the California Legislature (short of my idea to abolish it): Let it be overrun by moderates of both major parties who are committed to finding common ground to fix health care, water-supply problems, public education, transportation and a crumbling infrastructure.This could be done. Just not by the people now running the Legislature.(Jim Boren is The Fresno Bee's editorial page editor. E-mail him at jboren(at)fresnobee.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
We need more moderates in California Legislature
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
