California Commonwealth
We Are Restoring Representation in California
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.
TESTIMONIALS
"You are right on in your quest, but the powers that be are so formidable that I'm not sure how you can succeed.
The web-site is great as are the videos. Hopefully a grassroots movement will begin and grow to a force to be reckoned with.
Good luck to you! Keep on fighting, I'm rooting for you!"
Tom Bordonaro, Former Republican Assembly member
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"Each member of the Assembly should represent no more than thirty thousand."
Ted Costa, The People's Advocate
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"Mr. Warnken, it was indeed a pleasure to finally meet you in person and discuss (even if briefly) what you are trying to do. I was very impressed by your knowledge. This Country was built by people like you."
Alesandro Casati, Libertarian Lawyer
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"California legislators are out of touch for a very good reason: they represent too many people. . . Our state possesses the dubious distinction of being the least democratic and representative of any state in the union. So when a free-thinking voice in the Capitol is bullied, stifled or silenced by either Republican or Democratic party leadership, Californians living in those districts are disenfranchised in massive numbers. Each Senator represents about 847,000 Californians; each Assemblymember 423,500 constituents."
California Blue Dog, Democratic Blogger
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"On December 1, 2008 a California voter filed a federal lawsuit, charging that the population of California legislative districts (the lower house in particular) is so vast, that Californians do not have true representation in either house of their state legislature. The lawsuit is filed in federal court and argues that the U.S. Constitution protects the ability of ordinary voters to have meaningful representation. It argues that given the 475,000 population of California Assembly districts, there is no real representation."
Richard Winger, Editor of Ballot Access News
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" . . . the current level of misrepresentation has stymied competition for the elective seats of the Assembly. Not only does this damage the electoral rights of all citizens in various manners, but it affects us as Libertarians directly since our candidates who run for such offices state-wide are not able to do so effectively. Smaller districts would allow them to be competitive and more likely to win or at least advance our platform of liberty and individual responsibility to the public and in the legislature."
Michael Lamboley, Vice Chairman, Santa Barbara Libertarian Party
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"Mark Paul and I drafted a proposal to radically reorder California legislative elections into a system of region-based proportional representation. One element of this plan was increasing the size of the state legislature from 120 representatives in two houses to 360 in a one chamber body.
At the very same time, a California voter named Michael Warnken was filing a detailed brief in a federal court in Sacramento. His suit claims that the massive size of California's legislative districts - greater than 400,000 people for each seat in the lower house - constitutes grossly inadequate and hence illegally poor representation for the state's citizens."
Micah Weinberg, New America?s Foundation
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"In the fall of 1998, I was first elected to the New Hampshire lower legislative body, the House of Representatives. There are Four Hundred, which represent approximately 1,200,000 people. This translates into approximately one representative for every three thousand (3,000) citizens of this state. Each rep has the ability to meet with most all constituents who are voting age and know many personally. This is noteworthy and important and important since we have the ability to recognize the needs and problems of those we represent. This is an essential element for an elected representative of the people.
"Our membership consists of 15-20 Lawyers and there are many that perceive lawyers as officers of the court and as such, a conflict of interest when offering themselves as candidates as they are members of the judiciary. The rest are people of varying backgrounds."
Richard Marple, Former House Member, New Hampshire
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"Californians should consider more legislators in the Capitol as a solution to gridlock. Yes, you read correctly. More of those same people who have crippled and disgraced our government? The Blue Dog realizes this sounds crazy and counterintuitive. After all, how can more of a bad thing be good? One word: accountability."
California Blue Dog, Democratic Blogger
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"I just wish to let you know I still think you are doing the right thing in California. I want to get others on board with your concept but what I am seeing are people too focused on the small stuff to wake up and see what they really need to be doing.
I am as frustrated as you are but I know you can see this one through. Blessings!"
Beth Wallace, Oregon Citizen
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"I understand the California Constitution in Article 4 Section 2(a) states that "The Assembly has a membership of 80 members elected for 2-year terms." This mandate affords no real access or protection to the citizens of California! Media reports that your population is approaching 40 million. If so, this would leave each Assembly member representing between 400,000 & 500,000 constituents including undocumented aliens! It appears that the Assembly members in California cannot possibly do their job. We are limited to 24 hours in a day. The numbers do not add up.
The Citizens of California appear to be short changed on representation and your Assembly should, at the very least, mirror our 400. The only appropriate remedy is to increase the size of your Assembly. Citizens should have direct access to their representative, not their staff. The only hired staff we use in New Hampshire are for our committees.
Thank you for the opportunity to convey the thoughts of a person elected to the most representative government on this planet earth."
Richard Marple, Former House Member, New Hampshire
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"Aristotle observed that ?man is a gregarious animal.? Ayn Rand improved upon this when she said: "Man is a contractual animal." Benjamin Franklin once explained the need for a Declaration of Independence as being that "Gentlemen do not sneak attack", (His way of saying we Americans are civilized revolutionaries because we use such contractual mores as "compact religions", codified laws, written constitutions)
Throughout history people have had to rediscover that the progress of civilization is the progress of contract. The issue of the rule of contract over the rule of law over the rule of men is fundamental to representative democracy. And it is now on trial in California's courts. If the pending litigation succeeds, you could have renewed control over your currently runaway federal and state governments."
Robert Bakhaus, Libertarian and Karl J. Bray Award Recipient
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"More legislators would mean smaller districts. Smaller districts would mean our elected officials would be responsible for smaller geographic areas and fewer constituents. We might even know who they are and be able to recognize them so we could bend their ears at a Home Depot or Safeway or Olive Garden. Smaller regions could mean more affordable campaigns. More affordable campaigns would likely result in a larger pool of candidates less beholden to the parties.
The millions of moderate California Republicans and Democrats, and smaller parties themselves - like Green, Libertarian, Independents and Peace & Freedom Parties - deserve a voice more in line with their numbers. Micro legislative districts could be part of the answer if they diluted the polarized party political power and gave Centrists more representation, greater leverage and the ability to play a role in influential coalitions."
California Blue Dog, Democratic Blogger
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"New Hampshire?s representation being such a large body has the ability to oversee the functions of the executive and thus, act as a check against its power with regards to the treatment of our constituents. . . We are paid $100 per year. Plus mileage, thus we are a true people?s government of volunteers. As a frugal state, we understand there is safety in numbers and that no one has the ease or wealth to corrupt 400 House members and 24 Senators."
Richard Marple, Former House Member, New Hampshire
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"One of the more peculiar and notable legacies of the original constitution relates to the state legislature. In 1849 the number of Assembly members was constitutionally fixed in a range of thirty to eighty. . . The later 1879 constitution fixed the number permanently at . . . eighty assembly persons and forty senators. . . Unchanged in maximum numbers since 1849, today each of California's assembly persons now represents four hundred thousand people. And each state senator, serving double the number of constituents present in an Assembly district, represents substantially more people than does a U.S. member of Congress. In New York, the next closest state in population size, each assembly delegate represents 120,000 constituents, or about a quarter of a California district. (In the ?mentor? state, Iowa, there is one representative for every twenty-seven thousand people.)
The result is remoteness for the average voter from his or her representatives in Sacramento, contributing to the media orientation of California campaigns, the enormous amounts of money involved in winning political office, the excessive influence of political consultants, and the vast pressure of special interests. All of these consequences spring in part from the initial constitutional provisions fixing the size of the legislature."
John F. Burns, California Historian
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