EVP NOTES — A PART-TIME LEGISLATURE? A GOOD THING?!

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One of the decisions we will all have to make (again!) in the near future on the statewide ballot, is whether California should return to a part-time legislature. Some states have never gone to a full-time legislature, as California did in the early 1960s. Texas (a big state), Oregon and Nevada, for instance, all meet every two years.

States which have a part-time legislature encourage more of a ‘citizen legislator’ (i.e. not many lawyers!) – those states do not pay their elected officials very much either. By comparison, the California Legislature comprises of over 60 percent lawyers and their total pay, including per diem, is more than $200,000 a year.

The size of the legislature is also a concern: the Speaker of the Assembly has over 200 people working for him. In part-time states, they have very few staff.

The argument goes, however, that California has just become too complex to move to a part-time legislature. That we need a legislative body that meets every year, to deal with a state government which administers an economy that is sixth or seventh in the world (depending on the price of the Euro at the time, we vie with France). We also need the staff support to function.

Many of you have heard me refer to Sacramento as ‘Disneyland North’ – where everyone gets taken for a ride. Also, that the type of person who runs for office in California has never had to write on the front of a paycheck or hold a payroll down on a Friday, wondering whether there is enough money to pay everyone. Moving to a part-time legislature may help solve some of these problems and it is certainly an appealing concept in theory.

After all, maybe a part-time legislature would not have the time to pass laws which burden small business owners and are sometimes too complicated to understand. The legislature would only have the time to focus on the most important things in life rather than playing around in other people’s business. Do you sense frustration here?! One alternative might be to have just a budget session in the off year.....we shall have to see how this all shakes out....stay tuned!

Pest Control Operators of California
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