By now, you could call it the Zen riddle of California. The question gets asked over and over — in conversations about California, in newspaper columns, in gatherings of reformers. “Is the state governable?” I’ve been asked it several times during talks I give in Southern California. I should have a practiced answer by now. But I don’t. I simply don’t know if the state is governable. And I don’t think anyone else knows the answer to the question either.
These days, when I hear the question, I start to feel frustrated. It’s sort of a meta question, a version of “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” or “What thing comes of itself without being looked for?” We could have a conversation about what governable means, and we could talk about how certain governors have managed to govern in some areas. But the real importance of the question of the question is that it’s being asked over and over again. If you’re debating whether your state is governable, it’s obvious that you have deep problems that need to be addressed.
The more urgent and interesting questions are: what are the major problems that undermine effective governance and how do you address them? There’s a lot of conversation about this among reform groups and in the small, fairly insular foundation world. But there is very little talk about, or awareness of, possible solutions among the public.
That’s why it’s time to retire the question of whether the state is governable or not. The debate over that question doesn’t really get us anywhere. The question really is about fixing blame, and has the Schwarzenegger subtext of: did the big lug screw this up or was it so screwed up that even the Terminator fix it?
It’s long past time for more discussion and debate over solutions–and for real action. My three big items would be: 1. removing the 2/3 requirement for passing a budget AND for raising taxes (While you’ll never convince them, Republicans would actually benefit politically in the long run since they couldn’t be blamed for budget problems that occurred when they’re in the minority. In other words: if you’re not in power and yet you’re still responsible for the status quo, you’ll never get back into power). 2. Major changes in the size and structure of the legislature, combined with a change in voting system, away from single-representative, winner-take-all districts. 3. A reform of direct democracy that makes referenda — that is ballot measures to reverse laws — much more common and initiatives rare.
What are your ideas?