California Commonwealth

We Are Restoring Representation in California

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Latest News

June 18, 2009

Website redesign complete. Details continue to be refined. If you see any errors or problems, please let us know.

January 21, 2009

At the hearing today, the judge did not dismiss the case as the opposition had hoped, but instead said he would read our brief more carefully before he makes his ruling!

December 1, 2008

Lawsuit filed in Federal Court, charging that Californians do not have true representation.

We believe that one representative in the lower chamber for every 475,000 people (and growing) is wholly inadequate. The common citizen deserves to have access and at this time, we do not have it!

The California Assembly Seats 80 for 38 Million! One Representative for every 475,000 People!!

The New Hampshire House Seats 400 for 1.2 Million! That's one Representative for every 3,000 People!

On September 9, 1850, California became one of the United States of America and that same year the citizens of California ratified its Constitution. The Constitution of 1849 established a Bi-Cameral Legislature, which included a Senate and the Assembly. The Assembly was the chamber that was to be the chamber where the common citizen was to have access. Initially it had 36 members for the population of 90,000 people. In 1852, the Assembly increased to 63 members and then in 1854, it was increased for the final time to 80 members for a population of just over 200,000. Each member of the Assembly represented about 2,500 People. They knew who they represented, had the ability to meet with them and helped them deal with their problems.

Today, California's population is over 38 million and each Assembly-member represents over 475,000 People. The common Citizen no longer has any substantive access. Only big election donors truly have access. And there are numerous effects to this poor arrangement. This includes lopsided elections where no incumbent has lost in over four electoral cycles as the size of the districts make the cost of running for office over half a million dollars. No common man or woman can step into the contest.

Further, our representatives no longer respond to the needs of the Citizens. The value of our vote has diminished so much that they do not need to. Generally, to solve a problem you have to seek out an attorney. The representatives do not have the ability to do their duties or act as a check upon the other branches of government, control Government spending, or root out corruption. Further, they have begun taking on assistants to do their duties. We as citizens no longer have the ability to meet with those we elect. Most of us when we have a problem are sent to the assistants who we did not vote for or elect. Often times these assistants do little, if anything, to help us resolve the problems we have.

Our Government is broken and one of the key problems is we do not have adequate representation. We as a group have filed suit and are intent on changing this. The California Assembly is simply too small and their districts are too large. Therefore, we are moving to change this. Please take time to look around this website and join this effort.