Get the graft back to the local level? Did it ever leave?
I don't think some special interests are going to like that.
You bet it did.
In the 1960's teacher's unions were realitively insignificant. The minute Sacramento esentially took the power to hire teacher's away from local districts the unions grew in strength because they now had only one target, 120 state legislators, on which to concentrate their efforts and concentrate they did.
Ditto local zoning decisions in the 1980's, motor vechicle associated taxes beginning in the 1930's and locally chartered S&Ls in the 1950's. The list goes on and on. Today only a small number of issues, subject only to local review, generate local graft. The big bucks are in Sacramento.