Posted on 01/31/2008 8:18:41 AM PST by SmithL
Incumbent Democratic lawmakers have donated or raised nearly $1.4 million for the Proposition 93 campaign, fueling accusations that the measure to alter term limits is a power grab.
Fourteen Democratic Assembly members and three senators contributed money in their own name, while numerous others gave to special committees used by colleagues to solicit funds for the effort, records show.
The two largest legislative contributors are Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, $350,000, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, $300,000. The measure would give them an extra four years and six years in office, respectively.
"This shows what a lie it is that Proposition 93 actually reduces terms," said Kevin Spillane, spokesman for No on 93. "Politicians wouldn't be giving a million dollars if it wasn't going to lengthen their tenure."
A spokesman for Núñez, who helped craft Proposition 93, said in a written statement that the initiative would benefit the public.
"As a legislator who became speaker when he was just a freshman, the speaker, like the governor, understands better than most the value of experience and expertise that Proposition 93 will bring to the Legislature," said the spokesman, Steve Maviglio.
Proposition 93 would lengthen terms for lawmakers who spend their entire career in one house, but it would reduce time for those who move from the Assembly to the Senate, or vice versa.
State law now limits lawmakers to eight years in the Senate and six in the Assembly. Proposition 93 would cut the maximum from 14 years to 12, but allow all to be served in one house.
Ninety percent of legislators have not served the maximum by switching houses since term limits were imposed in 1990, according to a study by the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies.
No GOP legislator has contributed to campaigns...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
That’s exactly what it is. I’d vote for it if it only affected newly elected legislators and had no effect on those currently squatting their fat a***s in the Assembly and Senate.
He filed bankruptcy in '93. This is the best job he ever had. He isn't about to give up, he wants to make his fortune and retire to the Big Haceienda in the Sky, like all Mexican politicians. Hey, it's the way it's done there. He just doesn't see why he can't do it here.
Not to worry. Californians are nothing if not slavishly loyal to the demonic-rat party. They will pass 93 along with several tax increasing bond measures. After all, they voted to destroy the Constitutional protection against raising property tax without 2/3 vote.
More taxes, more welfare, more food stamps, more free health care, more, more, more...all free for those who don’t work. Kully-fawn-ya here I come.
They obviously believe they’re going to get what they paid for.
That's reason enough to vote the damned thing down.
We already have term limits. The problem is, 42 of those about to be sent home under the current term limit law, are pushing through this bill to restart their clock.
This bill must be voted down! It's time for our term limits law to start paying off, and some of these people are absolutely terrible. For the others, it's just time for some new blood in there.
Actually the prop was failing in the polls. I’d be surprised to see it succeed. Lots of Rs will vote on Feb 5.
This is why our presidential primary was separated from the statewide primaries.
We'll do that in June. Yes, they're giving us three elections in one year just to make sure they can all run again for reelection if Prop 93 passes! And just remember the failed 2005 special election reform was considered an unnecessary expense...
Correct me if I remember this wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Schwarzenegger originally supported this “term limits reform” when is was linked to “redistricting reform.”
Then he and the Dems in the legislature got into some tiff, and they stripped redistricting out of the deal. He withdrew his support for term limits reform.
Later, he was so desperate to pass his HillaryCare package, he got back on the Prop 93 bandwagon, just to try to bribe peRATa and the other Dems. Thankfully, it didn’t work, and hopefully, Prop 93’s failure will turn Nunez and peRATa into lame ducks, just like Arnold.
Sounds like you know a lot more about the history of Prop 93 than I do. I just know that it’s a stinker and Arnold is blowing it again.
I appreciate the comments.
The worst people on Earth have figured out that they can vote to be subsidized to live on the beach. At least until the people being jerked around for the subsidies finally say "enough".
But we're a ways away from that happening, and in the meantime, Ahnuld can just borrow the difference.
Correct. He was criticized for jumping on the term-limit bandwagon, at all.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1665715/posts
Gov. Seeks Deal That Would Ease Term Limits (would swap for redistricting redo)
ap on LA Times ^ | 7/14/06 | Peter Nicholas
SACRAMENTO — Hoping to resurrect an idea voters rejected in last year’s special election, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to offer lawmakers a deal: He’ll support an easing of term limits if they’ll agree to change the way California draws voting districts.
Schwarzenegger said in an interview Thursday he does not believe term limits have improved Sacramento’s political culture. Allowing legislators to stay in office longer would be worthwhile, he said, if it induced them to put a proposal on the ballot that would strip them of the power to carve political boundaries.
The governor reasons that lawmakers may not want to change voting districts, most of which favor incumbents, but they dislike term limits even more.
...
Thanks to both of you for posting additional material on this subject. I appreciate it.
Surprise surprise, it was rejected after all. Loooks like Nunez and One bill Gil Cedillo will need to brush up on their lawn care skills. Ha ha.
Regards
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