December 2002

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Guest Commentary 

Joe Canciamilla, a member of the state Assembly from Pittsburg, is a former Contra Costa County supervisor

Let's face it, California's system of government is broken and in grave need of major improvements. We are the fifth largest economy in the world yet 13 times in the last 16 years the Golden State started its fiscal year without a state budget. In fact, the Legislature set a record this year in passing a $98.9 billion state budget 62 days after the fiscal deadline. We struggled with a $24 billion deficit this year and we are facing a similar shortfall next year. Equally frustrating is that California legislators introduced 2,202 bills in the past year, many of which were costly, duplicative or completely inconsequential. And despite the ineffective way we do business in the state Capitol, we are too paralyzed to do it any differently.

Most everyone involved in the legislative process recognizes we have a serious problem. As state legislators, we spend too much time carrying dozens of bills, sitting on multiple committees, voting on thousands of measures, and adding to the huge amount of current legislation – yet we spend little time understanding and reviewing the effectiveness of laws already put into action to see if they are worth the resources we are spending on them.

We are on this legislative treadmill and the treadmill is going faster and faster. Who has time to look back at where we’ve been or look ahead to where we are going?  At some point someone needs to say STOP. Someone has to ask some important questions: Are programs working? Are they worth the money? Are they providing the services that were originally intended? What is their benefit today and beyond?

I will soon introduce legislation to improve our state budgeting process, provide legislative oversight of state programs and get our system of governing back on track. I have spent months researching and reviewing numerous recommendations from prior commissions, task forces, and academic think tanks on how the state can improve its budgeting and oversight process. I have spoken with veteran policy experts who have been involved in this field for decades, both in California and in other legislatures. I have incorporated the recommendations that I consider the most practical along with a few ideas of my own to create common-sense reform legislation that I hope others will seriously consider.

• The state would adopt a two-year expenditure plan to guide the annual budgeting process. The plan would not replace the annual budget, but would provide a clear and detailed description of the direction of state government expenditures. It also would allow administration and legislative decision-makers more time to focus on oversight of programs and proposed legislation that may affect the budget.

• The state would be required to maintain a 3 percent budget reserve within each two-year budget period to deal with unanticipated emergencies.

• The first year of each two-year session would be a budget oversight session only. No member-authored bills, except those related to budget, legislative committees or emergencies, would be permitted in the first session. This would provide the committee leaders the opportunity to review the effectiveness of existing programs and appropriations, identify cost-savings, overlaps, service gaps, etc. Legislative staff would be trained to assume a different role in the first part of the two-year session so they could serve effectively as support staff in the process.

• Members would be encouraged to use the oversight session to completely develop bills for introduction in the second year of the session, called the policy session.

• Additionally, the Assembly would begin keeping an official record of all proceedings. To accomplish this, all committee hearings and floor sessions would be available for review by the public.

Under this legislation, we would aim before we shoot. Look before we leap. Ask, listen and study before we decide. We could eliminate what hasn't worked to free up needed resources. We would still have plenty of time to pursue our legislative agenda, but we would first take a good look at what we did in prior sessions and learn what needs to be fixed. And we would do this as we craft a responsible two-year expenditure plan that reflects that legislative oversight.

I don’t see this reform legislation as a panacea. No single reform proposal will solve all our problems. But I do believe it will give the Legislature a better opportunity to use our collective skills to deliver more effective services and programs to Californians.