Constitutional Convention

California is mired in perpetual budget crisis and its government is paralyzed by partisan gridlock. Groups across the political spectrum are pushing reforms, with some even calling for a constitutional convention. Frustrated Californians know something is wrong, but not what's broken and how it can be fixed.

Are you tired of California's dysfunctional government? Sick of worrying about our perennial money woes? Has your trust in government reached rock bottom?

Well, then, there's only one thing to do: Join a movement to give elected officials more power.

That's right. You read that correctly. You may have a burning desire to throw the bums out or, at the very least, to take away as much of their power as you can, but the only way to fix the system is to do exactly the opposite: Empower elected officials, let them do their jobs, and then hold them accountable.

The New America Foundation’s Micah Weinberg talks with Lenny Mendonca, Chair of Repair California, about what caused his organization's effort to call a constitutional convention to stall. They also discuss the broader political reason behind the education cuts at UCs and CSUs, and the importance of engaging young people in the political process.

Given all the uncertainties of California politics, here’s one thing you can bet on:

We haven’t heard the last of a constitutional convention.

There are two reasons to believe the idea isn’t going away, despite the failure of convention backers to raise enough money to qualify two initiatives for the November 2010 ballot.

1. This was a successful failure.

A few weeks ago, a statewide ballot initiative petition signed by a California voter named Michael Ni was delivered -- quietly and without fanfare -- to the clerk's office in San Mateo County.

Strange as it may sound, this is no exaggeration: Ni's John Hancock may reshape American politics forever.

Aarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

I have a little less hair to tear out after two pieces of news yesterday.

1. The effort to call a constitutional convention is on life support after signature gathering was “paused” because the con con committee, Repair California, doesn’t have near enough money to qualify.

Petition circulators are refusing to work on the constitutional convention petitions for fear that a convention would limit the initiative process – and thus hurt their own livelihoods.

The circulators are right to be worried about their futures.

But they are worried about the wrong thing.

The answer: it's not clear.

Here's the scoop.

John Grubb of Repair California, the committee that's seeking to qualify ballot initiatives to call a constitutional convention for the state, recently explained to me his group's unconventional strategy for signature gathering.

My colleague Joe Mathews participated in a live Politico webchat last week on the worrisome state of California. While the discussion ranged from pensions to prisons to a constitutional convention, these questions were particularlly interesting:

With a budget deficit, high unemployment, and foreclosures, California will spend the New Year tackling the symptoms of a larger problem. While these areas need attention, my colleague Mark Paul pointed out in yesterday’s Bee that, "California's real trouble is that its current system of government, misshapen by decades of piecemeal changes, is no longer capable of dealing with its problems."