CA: Musical chairs in capital (politicians just trade seats in term-limits game

California's Legislature faces the highest turnover in at least a decade this November, about 40 percent, as more than one-third of lawmakers are being forced out by term limits and others plan to leave.

The number could soar even higher if some incumbents are unseated, resulting in a Legislature that will be one of the least experienced in years.

"The Legislature that meets in December will have over one-third of its members having never served a day in state government," said Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento.

"Therefore, no matter how good they are, they do not have the knowledge, the experience, that's needed to be able to tell the good bill proposals from the lousy bill proposals."

Twelve out of 40 members are being termed out this year in the Senate and 29 out of 80 in the Assembly. That is the highest figure since voters enacted term limits in 1990.

Additionally, some members are leaving before they are forced out in order to run for other offices.

While some lawmakers are swapping legislative houses, analysts said loss of experience in the Legislature will leave those with institutional memory in Sacramento - namely lobbyists and bureaucrats - with more influence than ever.

"Committee chairs turn over so quickly that you don't have time to develop the same expertise as the bureaucrats sitting across from you at a budget hearing," said Hodson.

Based on projections of current races, the demographics of the Legislature also are expected to change. There could be more African-American members, for instance, potentially making the Legislative Black Caucus the largest in its history.

The caucus currently has six members, all from Los Angeles County. But the three to five new members could hail from the Bay Area, the Inland Empire and San Diego. Such growth would make it larger than the caucuses for Asian and gay legislators.

"Just at the point that pundits were suggesting that African-American political influence was waning, here we have a scenario where it is increasing some 50 percent in the state Legislature," said Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles, a member of the Black Caucus.

"In a worst-case scenario, there will be as many African-Americans in the Legislature as there have been in history, and potentially more."

Overall, 17 women are leaving the Legislature, although most are expected to be replaced, either by women from the same districts or in seats now held by men.

Still, Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Santa Rosa, the incoming leader of the women's caucus, said the Legislature still feels like a "good-old-boys network."

She noted that there are no female statewide officers and only one woman running for major statewide office in November: Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, who is seeking California's secretary of state post.

"My feeling is we have to get more women not only registered to vote but voting - and more women in elected office," Berg said.

"My hope is with the women's legislative caucus next year, we develop the first legislative platform for the women's caucus in history that will focus on working families and specifically target working moms, which is a group that is terribly discriminated against."

Voters enacted term limits in 1990, with supporters arguing that it would increase the diversity of officeholders in Sacramento and reduce the corrupting influence of those who have held power for decades.

But some critics now maintain it has resulted in a less knowledgable Legislature.

And a side effect has become a game of musical chairs played by legislators who are forced out of one office - and then simply seek another.

There are about 10 Assembly members running for Senate, and two senators are running for Assembly in November.

State lawmakers this year had worked toward a deal to place a measure on the November ballot to ease term limits.

One suggestion was to combine the limits for both houses, so that rather than have three two-year terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the Senate, a lawmaker could serve 12 years in any combination.

That would stabilize the movement between Assembly and Senate and allow some expertise to develop in each house, supporters said.

Sacramento's most experienced legislator, Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton, said term limits have resulted in a Legislature that feels much more partisan than it was decades ago.

Dymally served in the Assembly and Senate in the 1960s, then was lieutenant governor and a congressman before returning to the Legislature in 2002.

In the past, he said, he could have ideological differences with conservative legislators and lobbyists, but still end up having a pleasant dinner with them at the end of the day.

Now, he said, legislators are focused on partisan differences and on angling for their next job.

"As soon as they arrive, they begin looking at what office they can run for," Dymally said. "They are influenced by that mission."

"Therefore, no matter how good they are, they do not have the knowledge, the experience, that's needed to be able to tell the good bill proposals from the lousy bill proposals."

Like the current batch of 'experienced' legislators can tell the 'good' proposals from the 'lousy' ones? Puhleeese.

</sarcasm>

The only consolation some can take out of all of this is that some moderates in the gOP got tossed in the primaries for more conservative candidates, which if the gerrymandered districts deliver as usual should mean we will at least retain enough seats to block tax hikes in the State Assembly the next 2 years, unless they are told to rollover for them when they come up , which they will the next 2 years. This state can not sustain the rate of budget growth without tax hikes.

In principle, I'm opposed to term limits as it limits my ability as a voter to vote for the person I feel most qualified for the office. Furthermore, as enacted here in Louisiana, it's little more than a feel good measure, as term limited (state) senators run for representative seats or vice versa, at the expiration of there terms.

The problem arises as a result of the electorate substituting 'name recognition,' for education on the issues and our Gannett newspapers being the government's lap dog as opposed to the citizen's watch dog.

Legislated term limits are just one more attempt on the part of government to solve a problem that exists as a result of irresponsible citizenship on the part of individuals who should be the ultimate enactors of term limits every election day.

Just one more example of how prescient Mr. Franklin was when he admonished, "...if you can keep it."

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