Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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A Boon for Reform?
California voters have repeatedly voted down initiatives that would take redistricting out of the hands of legislators. But supporters of this year's version are hopeful that the record-setting delay in passing a budget will help their cause, the Sacramento Bee reports:
Like a giant "kick me" sign, California's budget morass is drawing lawmakers into the fire of a November ballot fight.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other backers of an initiative to strip lawmakers of authority to draw political districts are seizing ammunition from the record 85-day delay in passing a budget.
"Time to hold politicians accountable," is a slogan of Proposition 11.
"Our system is set up for failure and gridlock," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference last week to push the initiative. "It's time we fix the system once and for all."
Satisfaction with lawmakers has plunged to a record low, with only 15 percent of voters approving of their performance, a Field Poll found this month.
But the story suggests the measure is likely to fall short yet again in November.
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