The proposed California Constitutional Convention (ConCon) is a a bad idea for several serious reasons. There ConCon is being touted by Repair California as a way to "repair" the "broken" California. The New America Foundation thinks ordinary citizens will think great thoughts and magically put away their differences to draft a new constitution. And newspapers from the LA Times to the Sacramento Bee think ConCon is a great idea to break a logjam.
Take a look at the ConCon lifecycle:
- Two ballot initiatives must be passed. The first allows California to call a ConCon using the initiative system. The second allows the first ConCon to be held.
- Delegates are selected for the ConCon by local county supervisors and a random draw of names from each Assembly district.
- The paid delegates assemble and begin figuring out how to have the ConCon. They then decide what to discuss in the ConCon. Then, they write the new California Constitution (NewCon).
- The changes to the current constitution to create NewCon must be passed by the voters as initiatives.
Here's some issues to ponder.
What does allowing a ConCon actually mean?
The first ballot measure allows a ConCon to be called once every 10 years. Once this initiative passes, a ConCon can be called every 10 years. If you thought the initiative process was bad, wait until the entire Constitution is ripped apart every decade.
Delegates get paid?
Yes, they get paid to do this. Up to $95 million will be authorized by the second ballot initiative to pay for ConCon. Is this the best way to spend $95 million?
Who gets to be a delegate? How will they be qualified? Will there be balance?
Anyone who is eligible to vote can become a delegate. In Orange County, do not be surprised if non-Republican voters are virtually shut out of the process. It also could be easy for lobbyists and other special interests on both sides to game the system with their "Manchurian Candidates."
Who thinks ConCon is a good idea?
The Bay Area Council is driving the effort. They have gotten other groups, like the Lincoln Club in Orange County, to carry water for them. The Bay Area Council is a super-sized Chamber of Commerce made up of the largest companies in the nine county San Francisco Bay region. Members include AIG, Bain & Company, Blue Shield, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Health Net, KB Homes, Centex, McKinsey & Company, VISA, and many other large companies and law firms. These groups know how the game the system to get what they want, how to shut out the voice of California residents, and have the money to do it.
Maybe that's why it's called ConCon.
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