[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez will outline a compromise package today that includes redistricting reform, a budget-time fundraising ban, and a revised attempt at tweaking term limits.

The redistricting component features an independent 17-member "hybrid" commission. No legislators will serve on the panel, with the majority picked randomly from a screened pool with no legislative influence and eight others picked by legislative leaders. Unlike the Voters First initiative that may appear on the November ballot, this proposal requires diversity in every step of the process and puts the Voting Rights Act first and foremost among the criteria in selecting districts. There's also a host of transparency and public input provisions.

The term limits provision is similar to Prop 93, but excludes the provisions that protected many incumbents that drew criticism. It reduces the maximum amount of time a person can serve in the Legislature from 14 years to 12 years, allowing  a legislator to serve all their time in one house.

There's also a fundraising blackout period prohibiting campaign contributions to legislators and the Governor from May 15th until the budget is enacted.

The proposal will be included in two pieces of legislation: ACA 1, which includes the bulk of the proposal, and AB 3069, which contains a statutory provision relating to the new redistricting commission.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

There's only one way the state budget is going to pass anytime soon: Governor Schwarzenegger needs to muster all of his celebrity power in the next few days and camp out in the districts of Republican State Senators who refuse to support the bipartisan budget plan passed by the Assembly and supported by Senate Democrats and one bold Senate Republican.
 
No more tough-worded but empty statements. No more cordial meetings with schnapps and strudel. No more Mr. Nice Guy with the GOP Caucus.
 
It's time Schwarzenegger to use the bully pulpit. Time to target the one or two Republican votes needed to pass the budget. Time to tap the tools pulpit that only a Governor has, as well as the celebrity only this governor has.
 
Figure it this way: Senate Republicans already have gotten the Governor to agree to make $700 million in additional cuts on his own. And that won't be easy. Democrats will howl, and the poor are likely to take the hits the hardest. That won't do much for Arnold's popularity numbers as he tries to eek out legislative victories on health care, redistricting, and water.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

Neville Chamberlin has returned? In his column today, Dan Walters suggests the current budget deadlock’s cause likes in the repeated failure of Republican Budget Committee members to prevail.

They are stubborn at budget time because they have not obtained their goals.

If Democrats gave in early in the year, Walters reasons, they would be less obstinate in the Summer.

Give them Czechoslovakia and they’ll forego their hand in Poland?

Here’s a different thought.

Since only two Republican State Senators are holding up California’s budget, let’s make things gradually more unpleasant for those politicians - as the deadlock makes things gradually more unpleasant for those who need that budget passed.

Here’s a three point plan.

Day one, debate the budget and, if it fails passage by two votes, put it on call. Lock the doors and issue passes only to those who have done their duty. Turn off the tv cameras to eliminate the motivations for posturing.