California Finally Gets A Break

While many folks are bemoaning the Red Tide that swept across America last week. The Sierra's seemed to have prevented the tidal wave from reaching all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

On the contrary, there were many positive aspects of last weeks elections that may eventually help California to move beyond it's political and economic malaise.

The article listed here first was not part of the election, but should, nevertheless, be considered a step in the right direction when it comes to getting our financial house in order.

The first piece of good news from last weeks election was the passage of Proposition 25 which does away with the hated 2/3rd majority for any budget to be passed in the State of California. This should enable budgets to be done sooner as a simple majority is all that will be needed to pass a budget in the state. Note that this is for the passage of a budget only, raising taxes still requires a 2/3rd majority for passage.

Riding on the coat tails of Prop 25 was Prop 26 which forbids legislatures from re-classifying what was once considered a tax (vehicle registration for instance) into a fee in order to bi-pass the state law that required a 2/3rd majority for any tax increase.

Last, was the passage of Proposition 20 which takes congressional redistricting out of the hands of politicians. New rules require an independent board of citizens who will draw the new lines for the election of 2012. Much of the extreme partisanship and gridlock in California has been blamed on politicians who are being elected in very safe districts which can often put the more extreme members of each political party into office. The idea behind the passage of Prop 20 is that the new citizens board will draw more competitive districts which will force politicians to govern from the center so as to appeal to as many people as possible to get elected.

All in all, as depressing as last weeks election was to many on the left of the political spectrum, California, at least in my opinion, has at a few good changes coming down the pike.