Every time there is a perceived crisis of some kind people run to Sacramento seeking to have a Legislator author a new state law so that the particular crisis will supposedly not happen again. And there is always a Legislator or a cadre of so-called full time legislators all too eager to oblige.
We have laws named after abused and murdered children. We have a law to protect the tale of every cow in California. We almost had a plastic bag law this past summer. And, lo and behold, just days after the San Bruno gas pipeline rupture and explosion, we have a proposed new State law to deal with gas pipelines. Of course, there are now proposals before the Legislature to enact State laws to restrict the pay and benefits that cities, counties and other local government entities can negotiate with their labor organizations or otherwise put in place.
Not only is this a long standing pattern of seeking State control of perceived problems, it puts more and more control of our lives in the hands of State government based in Sacramento. To some of us, this is a worrisome trend that has been rolling along like a freight train.
Now comes gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown who, in a TV. advertising campaign, advocates the return of power and decision making to the local level. In at least one of these campaign ads, he says that Sacramento is broken, and we need to empower our local elected officials to make more decisions that impact us as individuals and the communities we live in. He argues that local decision making is more responsive.
Wow, that sure flies in the face of the pattern of empowering Sacramento to dictate more and more of our lives that has been building for decades. Is Jerry on to something? Is it time? Or, even if he is elected, will it turn out to be an impossible dream because every time a local decision is made that we do not like we will run to Sacramento to seek a State law to override it, not to mention that Sacramento loves to have all this power?
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