by Jack Lee
Depending on who’s poll you believe there is somewhere between 9 and 12% of us that approve of the California legislature. So how is it that 99% of the incumbents get reelected? The Bathist Party had a better turnover than that!
Here’s how they stick it to us election after election: Gerrymandered districts! Those carfully crafted boundaries that favor one party over the other, that the simple fact that incumbents always get the lion’s share of large donations from the special interest lobby.
Proposition 20 will hopefully fix the first part, because it takes away control of redistricting from the political party’s and gives it to the people. The second part of this problem remains to be fixed.
Every previous attempt at reforming campaign contributions has passed by wide voter approvals only to be sued to death for technicalities by one party or the other or both. Neither wants to give up the golden goose, i.e. special interest money and the influence buying that goes with it. It’s a matter of them placing their partisan interests ahead of our interests.