Does California Really Need a Constitutional Convention?
Let’s stop and think this through. Californians are mad, and they have a right to be mad. California government is dysfunctional, and we face a $24 billion budget deficit that our leaders seem powerless to deal with. Resolving it will require a Herculean effort and may have terrible consequences. Many people say that every crisis is an opportunity. And that’s why, on a trip to the supermarket in the near future, you may be asked to sign a petition to convene a state constitutional convention. But going down that road could have far-reaching and unforeseeable consequences we may live to regret. There are many different proposals for a constitutional convention. They may sound good on the surface because people have lost confidence in the Legislature. But as always, the devil is in the details. The most discussed proposal is being backed by a business group called the Bay Area Council. As envisioned by the Council, some 400 delegates would be selected from Grand Jury pools across the sta
