Politics

California's political system is simply not working.  We have a huge budget deficit, legislative gridlock, and a marked lack of leadership, and the two major parties are only giving us smoke-and-mirrors budgeting and rigid positions while they mortgage our future. We need leadership, not blind following of polls and party lines.  

Term Limits - Term limits for legislators have resulted in political volleyball, where every few years the players rotate to other positions, and try to pass or hit all difficult issues to someone else. No one sticks around to deal with the consequences of their actions, so they look for the short-term band-aid instead of the long-term solution.  Legislators do not serve long enough to develop expertise in the complex issues facing California, and so become far more dependent on lobbyists (most of whom are financed by large corporations, not by real people or small businesses).  Instead of focusing on the substance of the issues, legislators only focus on how they can get elected to the next office.  

Besides, if Santa Ana or Santa Monica wants to keep re-electing their legislator because the voters think he or she is doing a good job, why shouldn't they be able to do so?  

Legislative term limits contribute to our current political dysfunction, are undemocratic, and should be eliminated.  People should be able to vote for who they want.    

Partisanship - Politicians from the two major parties consistently put the interests of their political party ahead of the interests of California and Californians.  They are more interested in short term spin and protecting their own power than they are in the welfare of the state and its inhabitants. The major parties reinforce this by punishing those politicians who dare to become too "independent."  Courageous legislators who stray from the party line find themselves marginalized, losing powerful positions or even having their districts gerrymandered out from under them. 

This is unacceptable. The two major parties have failed California. We need leadership, not partisanship.  Do not vote for politicians who put loyalty to their party above their loyalty to the people of California.