CLCV endorsements

CLCV supported Proposition 93. The flaw in the current system of term limits is that it keeps legislators from gaining enough experience to be effective and to oversee the implementation of complex, important legislation, including environmental laws such as the 2006 Global Warming Act.

Right now, legislators can serve three two-year terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the state Senate, for a total of 14 years. Proposition 93 would have reduced the total amount of time a legislator can serve in the Legislature from 14 to 12 years, but allowed a legislator to serve all 12 years in the Assembly, the Senate, or a combination of the two. The 12-year limit in Prop 93 would have:

• Given legislators time to gain experience to be effective and provide reliable oversight;
• Maintained a healthy turnover that keeps ideas fresh and allows California to continue to innovate on environmental issues;
• Drastically reduced the political jockeying that dominates Sacramento — by allowing legislators to serve their entire tenure in either the Assembly or Senate, it would have stabilized our system by breaking the cycle of legislators constantly moving up the political ladder.