| I'm here in Sacramento this morning for the Constitutional Convention Summit organized by the Bay Area Council. You can see the agenda here. It's unfortunate that the BAC chose to maintain an $89 registration fee, but there will be other events much more open and accessible to the public in the coming weeks and months.
I'll be liveblogging here and twittering at @cruickshank throughout the day.
The main purpose of this Summit is to gauge interest in calling a convention, bringing people together to think through the process of calling one, what issues a convention might consider, and ultimately start to generate support for the idea.
I really have no idea what's going to be said or what will happen here today, although Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is going to speak in favor of replacing the 2/3 budget rule with a 55% vote, and is also apparently going to call for the abolition of the State Senate and the creation of a 120-member unicameral legislature. Looks like the damage Senate Republicans inflicted on the chamber with their four-day hostage crisis may be terminal.
California hasn't seen a genuine constitutional convention since 1879, although our state's voters have not been shy about amending the constitution since then. A convention opens up a lot of possibilities and brings with it certain risks. All of that has to be discussed by Californians and this is but the start of that effort.
Ultimately it has to be remembered that in American political theory, the people are sovereign. They hold power, not a king or a president or a Zombie Death Cult. If a convention is to be a success it must involve, engage, and empower the people at every way. This Summit is a start in that effort - and only a start. Where we go from here should be and must be up to Californians.
Updates over the flip. |
