A part-time legislature for California?

Bakersfield Assemblywoman Shannon Grove filed a constitutional amendment to return
the legislature to a part-time status.

A part-time legislature would slash lawmaker's pay down to $1,500 a month

California's Legislature would become part-time under a constitutional amendment proposed Friday by a Republican lawmaker and the head of a political watchdog group.

The measure calls for the nation's most populous state to meet three months per year – and for lawmakers' pay to be cut from $7,940 per month to $1,500 per month – or $18,000 annually reports the Sacramento Bee.

Republican Assemblywoman Shannon Grove of Bakersfield is teaming with Ted Costa of People's Advocate in hopes of gathering 807,615 voter signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

The proposal was filed Friday with the state attorney general's office, a first step toward launching a campaign.

BRAVO to Grove for proposing real reform.

The State Legislature was a part-time body until 1966.  Going back to that system is a major reform of a totally corrupt system.

Today the legislature is filled with full time political hacks who mostly have near zero job skills out in the real world where normal people live.

These hacks float from one full time office to another to earn a living.  To keep sucking on the public tit they will sell their souls to the Devil for the campaign money needed to hold office.

What the people back home want has little meaning in their lives.  Hacks are devoted to keeping the special interests happy.

A part-time legislator would go to Sacramento for a few weeks to make laws and pass a budget.  With their job over they would return to their districts and work for a living like everyone else.

This is a reform that is long overdue.

How it would work

- - - Have lawmakers meet for 30 days in January each year, recess, then reconvene in May for 60 days.

- - - Allow the governor to call special sessions to address extraordinary issues, but limit them to 15 days.

- - - Not allow legislators to accept state employment or appointment to a state post while serving in the Capitol or for five years afterward.

- - - Require the Legislature to adopt a balanced, two-year budget by June 15 of each odd-numbered year – and to forfeit salary and per diem for each day it is late.

Now comes the hard part.  Will Republicans back reform or will they leave Grove to twist slowly in the wind. 

I suspect the GOP will totally ignore Grove.  The past record of the liberal leaning GOP shows no real interest in reform.  Any reform will come from the bottom up.  The Republican Party, except for Grove, is nearly worthless.

(Sacramento Bee)


A part-time legislature will pass when pigs fly.  Every corrupt business and union will do everything
in their power to prevent them losing control of their pet legislators.