Should California have a part-time rather than full-time legislature in an effort to reshape politics in Sacramento?
No. that is not the problem. The problem is that we have a bunch of legislators who are either short-timers or newbies. The first don’t give a damn and the second don’t know what is going on. This is made worse by gerrymandering, which has created a bunch of safe districts, complicated by the requirement of a super majority to pass tax or budget bills. The people in the legislature have little enough time to consider all of the issues they face. Making them part-timers would only force them to shoot from the hip a lot more often. We need people thinking full-time and more about the problems that face this state. But they need to be thoughtful, insightful people, not a locked-in bunch of political hacks or a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears newbies. Going back to a part-time legislature might be a feel-good idea to some anti-government person, but it does not answer the question of who is going to decide the tough issues. Does it??
Dugan Barr has practiced law in Redding since 1967. He has tried more than 200 civil jury cases to verdict. He is married and has five children. The offices of Barr and Mudford, LLP, are at 1824 Court St. in Redding and can be reached at 243-8008.
