I think I could spend the rest of the year looking around for somebody who thinks the state’s system is functional, and still come up lacking. The question is how do we make this work? There are many possible solutions, but each really comes up lacking in some form or another.

And the same is true of the constitutional convention. In theory, it sounds like just the thing we need. But like all political devices in California, it comes up short. Specifically, the selection process leaves a lot to be desired as either a populist or a progressive.

Basically, there a number of big risks we’re taking here. Notably, even with the new appointment process, progressives face an uphill climb to gain even a majority of the appointed delegates.  Even if every blue county sent an all-progressive delegation that’s still not a majority of the appointed delegates, and it is highly unlikely that even that many progressives will be there. LA and San Jose city councils will not produce a meaningfully different body of delegates than LA and Santa Clara County will. SD City will produce a bunch of moderates and centrists, as will many of the blue counties. It is a really, really big longshot that progressives would have a majority of the appointeds.

As for the random delegates, it’s hard to be optimistic as a progressive.  It’s just a big crapshoot.  That whole process basically resembles the Prop 11 commission, so the most dedicated and engaged progressive activists are not even eligible to apply. It is theoretically possible that we could see a progressive majority there, but also unlikely, since the selectors are going to push for “centrists” and will see progressives as unacceptable ideologues whose numbers are to be minimized.