[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Mark Murray
Executive Director
Californians Against Waste

On Tuesday, February 5th, you will have the chance to make an important decision about the future of California's environment.

Californians Against Waste has been helping California's environment for over thirty years now and we couldn't have been able to do this without help from the environmental leaders in the state legislature. Currently, California's legislative term limits are just about the tightest in the country, and remain a barrier to effective governing, which is why CAW supports Proposition 93. Prop 93 strikes a balance that would still stick legislators with tight term limits, but allow legislators more time in one house, greatly increasing continuity and institutional memory necessary to be effective leaders.

The flaw in our current system is that it keeps legislators from gaining enough experience to be effective and to oversee the implementation of often complex, important legislation, including environmental laws.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Sara S. Nichols

Well, they're here! The long-awaited Bill Magavern ballot recommendations. With so many people absentee voting, we get requests for these LONG before the election. Hold your horses, people!!! Unless you are leaving for Europe or a tour of duty, what is the friggin' hurry on voting? I still walk to the neighborhood precinct on voting day, but if I voted two or three or four weeks out I would often regret it. New info really crystalizes in the final weeks of a campaign.

So without further ado:

THE BILL MAGAVERN BALLOT RECOMMENDATIONS, FEBRUARY 2008
PROPOSITIONS

91 – NO
Even its authors have disowned this one. Its effect would be to expand the circumstances under which all of the sales tax on gasoline – not the gas tax, but the sales tax – could be spent only on transportation, which would bind the hands of the governor and legislature during times of fiscal crisis.

by jsw [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Disclaimer:  I am paid by exactly no-one to advocate for any political position.  I've heard rumors that certain people would actually pay me to stop.

There's been a lot of heat, and not as much light as would be ideal, generated around Proposition 93, the ballot initiative to extend (a bit) the current legislative term limits.  I have already turned in my absentee ballot, and I voted for Proposition 93, despite its manifest flaws.  If you're interested in why (and my take on those flaws), it's below the fold.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Susan Smartt
Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters

The California League of Conservation Voters protects our state’s environment by educating our legislators about how to protect, preserve and enhance California’s natural wonders.

California has benefited from CLCV’s commitment to ensure that the environment a priority among lawmakers. Many legislators have fought hard to address important needs like global warming, water conservation and air quality.

However, the current system of legislative term limits act as a high barrier to effective governing – that is why CLCV supports Proposition 93, the Term Limits and Legislative Reform Act.

Right now, legislators can serve three terms of two years each in the Assembly and two terms of four years each in the state Senate for a total of 14 years. This discourages long-term thinking to tackle California's biggest environmental challenges, like the implementation of Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act.

The flaw in the current system of term limits is that it keeps legislators from gaining enough experience to be truly effective. It also hinders proper oversight of the implementation of complex, important legislation. We can clearly do better with a reformed system of term limits.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Peter L. Stahl
Pete Rates the Propositions

“Throw the rascals out!” That was the rallying cry for Prop 140, the 1990 term limits initiative. Aimed at entrenched career politicians and the special interests supposedly keeping them in office, Prop 140 passed in a landslide of indignation. State legislators are now limited to eight years in the Assembly and six in the Senate.

Yes, Einstein, that adds up to fourteen years, but not many serve that long. The Senate is only half the size of the Assembly, and Senate vacancies occur less frequently, so most Assembly members are squeezed out of Sacramento after just six years, never reaching the Senate.

In the first dozen years after Prop 140 passed there was a fair amount of chamber switching in both directions, as termed-out Assembly members and Senators grabbed each others’ seats. So in the early days of term limits, a fair portion of the Assembly had prior legislative experience in the State Senate. But no longer. Only four current members of the Assembly have ever served in the Senate. The other seventy-five (there’s one vacancy) have been in Sacramento five years or less. In other words, the Assembly is filled with inexperience.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Most Likely Voters Have Not Seen, Read, or Heard Anything About Ballot Props--Campaigns Will Be Key

By Frank D. Russo

The Field Poll released yesterday shows Proposition 93, shows the legislative term limits change, Prop 93, ahead by a 50% to 32% margin amongst likely voters when read a description of the measure. A full 18% of those likely to start voting are undecided. What’s even more significant is that only 25% of likely voters reported they had “seen, read, or heard anything about the term limit proposition.

As to the referenda on the massive expansion of tribal slot machines, Propositions 94 to 97, likely voters are narrowly in favor by 39% to 33%, with a very large undecided 28% of those likely to vote. Only 27% of likely voters report they have seen, read, or heard anything about these propositions.

Ballots for those who vote by mail will start arriving within the next two weeks, and these Field results show that these proposition are very much in play in the February 5, 2008 California presidential primary ballot. The well funded campaigns for and against these propositions—with direct mail, slate pieces, television and radio ads--will make the difference on these measures.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]