We Owe You, California

The worst has come to pass. We voted down everything. Our state began issuing promissory notes yesterday. Those who don’t think very hard about it blame “the legislators.” Really, though, it’s everyone’s fault, the state legislature, the governor and their constituents — us.

I say we call a legislative convention. Here’s how my fantasy works:

(Quietly, no publicity)
1. Redraw the state’s legislative districts into 40 and 20 districts equal by population, no funny shapes except as dictated by topography.

2. Repeal the 1933 two-thirds rule for passing state budgets, and the language from Propositions 13 and 98, all of which strangle our ability to make revenues balance out costs.

(As much publicity as possible now)
3. Either a cage match or a battle royal between legislators. The order of entrance to the ring would be determined either by random number generator or by drawing straws. The last person standing gets to be the Governor. This is to be broadcast on California’s PBS affiliates.

4. Have a statewide election for the new districts.

If only.

Have a happy Independence Day weekend, everyone!

Your Legislative Anal-ist: Special Election Endorsements

Californians: We have an election coming up in one week. Don’t know much about what’s up for grabs? Then grab a cup of coffee, settle in and relax, for I have read the fine print for you. Have extra information? Comment here or send it to theyellowmenace1@gmail.com. These opinions are subject to change, pending the discovery of heretofore unforeseen facts or mood swings.

A shaky proposition

Watch the California state Supreme Court hearing on the validity of Proposition 8, which overturned the rights of same-sex couples to marry:

Watch the video here.

Update:
Initial impressions: Earlier counsel wasn’t terrible, but very boring and couldn’t stand up to even the slightest resistance from the panel.

I’d forgotten how much Ken Starr sounds like Tim Gunn. I kept half-expecting him to tell the justices to “make it work,” and then — ZING! — he references “Damn Yankees”!? Even the justices seem to recognize how cheesy he’s being.

Therese Stewart is about as excellent as she can be. She let her frustration show toward the end but she does not wilt under judicial scrutiny. The court went hard on her, but it had to: You can’t just overturn something the voters approved on hazy “that’s the ticket” ideas and without acknowledging whether this could set a precedent for limiting the people’s power.

I still can’t believe that a cable channel billed as the C-SPAN for California state affairs isn’t on digital basic.

What can Brown do for you?

If you read the top story from today’s L.A. Times, you might have seen some unlikely news about Prop. 8: Calif. State Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a 111-page brief asking the State Supreme Court to discard it altogether.

From the article:

“The attorney general has a legal duty to uphold the state’s laws as long as there are reasonable grounds to do so. Last month, Brown said he planned to ‘defend the proposition as enacted by the people of California.

But in his filing, Brown, who personally supports same-sex marriage, offered a novel legal theory to back his argument that the measure should be invalidated.”

That argument states that you can’t use the amendment process to take away rights without a good legal reason.

O RLY?

This is the same Jerry Brown who asked appellate courts to apply a new, fourth requirement when considering people for equal protection under the law: they cannot be able to normally access the legal process. You know, because gay people, dual-income, no kids (DINKs) — they can buy their rights, can’t they?

Remember, Brown also said that Prop. 8 was not a constitutional revision, though that could be just as well, because that could have proven to be a difficult fight, given that California has several precedents of sweeping constitutional changes approved as amendments.

Maybe we should ask Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth W. Starr, who will testify sometime this year on behalf of Protect Marriage, an anti-same-sex marriage group. And while we’re at it, we can ask him where his sister Brenda went.

Sí se puede

In an odd twist, one could immediately recognize the faces of two kinds of New Yorkers on Wednesday morning — homosexuals and registered Republicans — as the ones not beaming on their way to work.

Populism and American Idol

With the electoral season upon us, the electoral college and populism have popped up in a lot of recent conversations. In my heart of hearts, I desperately wish that I believed in direct democracy, but I have a lot of reservations, and I need look no further than the U.S. version of Pop Idol to illustrate my case.

Notes from your legal anal-ist: California’s Same-Sex Marriage

Many of you have probably already read analyses and overviews of the California State Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage. After all, the court has since denied a stay on the decision and hundreds of couples across the state have already gotten married since last Monday evening. Allow me, though, to offer my own coloring. Some of it even remains in the lines.

Alone in the community

Just several hundred people showed for Sunday’s Pride kickoff rally in Bryant Park, though that may just be because of the scattered showers that pounded unprepared tourists as I searched for VISA-friendly fast food in Times Square. There were so few people here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so few people in Bryant Park.

The Cult of Accountability

I’ve been thinking a bit about how difficult it can be to make anybody do anything. We live in a culture where lots of people simply don’t do their jobs. These people don’t take responsibility for their actions and it seems like nobody is holding them accountable, either.

Human Rights Campaign? Not for all humans.

Donna Rose, the first and only transgender member of the board of the Human Rights Campaign has resigned because the president and the rest of the board would not take a stand and sign on a statement demanding transgender inclusion in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a legislative proposal several groups have tried to push since 1994. Read her resignation letter here.