Effort to reshape state Legislature crosses a hurdle
SACRAMENTO — Supporters of an effort to create a California Legislature with up to 12,000 representatives of individual neighborhoods submitted voter signatures on Friday for their dramatic proposal to reshape the state’s version of representative democracy.
The plan, which would appear on the November 2018 statewide ballot, would create new community political districts of 5,000 to 10,000 Californians. Those microdistricts would choose representatives who, in turn, would meet to select the 120 members of the California Legislature who write laws in Sacramento. Because the small districts would be of a fixed size, the number of legislators will vary depending on the state’s population.
The “neighborhood Legislature” plan was submitted by John Cox, a Rancho Santa Fe Republican who is a candidate for governor. Cox bankrolled the signature drive, and state elections officials report the campaign has turned in 627,633 voter signatures for verification. A spokesperson says that more signatures will be turned in soon, with the total gathered closer to 800,000.
Local elections officials have until Dec. 20 to conduct an initial sample of those signatures. Cox needs 585,407 valid signatures for his proposal to earn a spot on next fall’s statewide ballot.
The GOP businessman told The Times in February that the creation of neighborhood legislators would help “take our government back from the funders, the cronies and the corrupt.” It is one of several ideas for overhauling California’s legislative branch of government that have been floated in recent years.
Cox tried to get the proposal on the ballot for more than five years, but previous efforts failed to collect enough voter signatures.
The proposal would also shrink the budget of the Legislature and link the salary for legislators chosen to represent the regional districts in Sacramento to a formula based on California’s median household income.
If approved by voters, the new system would take effect in 2021 when the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new political boundaries for legislative and congressional districts.