3/29/2010 - Gibreath Calls for "Citizen Legislature"
REDLANDS, CA – Mayor Pat Gilbreath (R-Redlands), candidate for the Republican nomination in the 63rd State Assembly District, called for a return to a part-time, “Citizen’s Legislature” today. Her endorsement of “The Citizen Legislature Act,” a measure sponsored by the Citizens for California Reform, aimed at rolling back the 1966 reforms to the California Constitution which created the current, full-time legislature.”
“One thing we’ve learned over the past four decades is that when the legislature has too much time, money and power it has an uncontrollable tendency and willingness to reach in the wallets and bank accounts of California’s citizens,” said Gilbreath. Adding, “One of the major reasons the culture of the State Capitol is bent toward limiting the personal freedom and liberty of citizens is due to the shift away from commonsense decisions made by people who live and work in the real world to a shift towards professional politicians.”
In announcing her support for the plan, Gilbreath cited the need to change the “motivation for public service, and infuse the lawmaking process with ideas that come from the private sector, not just careerists in government.” She continued, “When Sacramento politicians make decisions inside the political bubble on something like taxes and spending, working full-time for re-election instead of keeping a leg in the private sector, their decisions are skewed. This Amendment doesn’t cure politicians of the unabated quest for power, but it forces a cultural shift in the State Capitol. That shift is in the direction of an idea that says government service should never be a way of life.”
Under the proposed Amendment to the California Constitution, reforms would include limiting the number of days the legislature meets and reducing legislative pay by 50 percent. The measure has growing support from conservative, pro-taxpayer organizations.
Gilbreath announced her support for the plan at a “Coffee With Pat” campaign appearance in Rancho Cucamonga. For more information, log-on to www.StandWithPat.com.”
