A group committed to calling a constitutional convention for California submitted its proposed ballot language Wednesday.
The proposals from the Repair California group would call a limited constitutional convention to reform four areas of the constitution: the budget process, the election and initiative process, restoring the balance of power between the state and local governments, and creating new systems to improve government effectiveness.
Under the proposal, voters would be asked to call the convention through two linked measures on the November 2010 statewide ballot, the convention would be held in 2011 and voters would be asked to approve the convention’s proposals in 2012.
“Californians deserve a better system of governance, and this one is a failure,” Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council, said in a statement. His industry trade group spearheaded the constitutional convention drive.
Delegates would be chosen in a variety of ways, including 240 “everyday” Californians chosen through a process that starts with random selection. They would be joined by four delegates from federally recognized Indian tribes, and approximately 221 delegates appointed by local government leaders.
The attorney general’s office must review the ballot language, and come up with its own summary and title, before proponents can begin to collect signatures to place the measures on the ballot.
