There is no doubt that members of the California State Legislature LOVE being in office. So much so that a great many of them would like to extend their time in office well beyond that which is allowable under the current voter-approved term limits (3 two-year terms in the Assembly, 2 four-year terms in the State Senate). As everyone knows, Senate President Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez are using a vast paid signature gathering effort to place on the February ’08 ballot a measure that would SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKEN term limits. Right now 30% of the elected members of the State Assembly would be forced out of office next year, and 45% of the elected State Senators would be sent packing. If the Perata/Nunez sham plan is passed by voters (they have the nerve to couch this as a measure that would ‘strengthen’ term limits), NO legislator in Sacramento will be forced out of office — everyone gets more time. As a matter of fact, President Pro-Tem Perata would be able to serve until 2012, and Speaker Nunez until 2014!
Why is it that legislators want to stay in office so bad? Why is it that they cannot pass the baton so that other citizens can leave their jobs and businesses, and ‘give back’ as a legislator for six or 
eight years? Perhaps one reason is that being a legislator comes with a LOT OF PERKS. I wonder if the job would be as attractive as a CAREER (which is apparently how some politicians want it to be — a place you spend a generation) if there was no longer a big fat per diem check being issued, augmenting their six-digit pay with tens of thousands of additional (and non-taxable income) annually? Well there has been a ballot measure introduced that if passed by voters would end per diem for legislators. This measure is partnered up with another measure that JUST received Title and Summary by the Attorney General’s office — this is a very strict gift ban that would really make it much harder for a legislator to receive "kindness" from interest groups — including those that would take them on international junkets ("at no cost to the taxpayer").
Here is the Title and Summary issued today on the Gift Ban Measure… Perhaps, at some point, legislators who are not facing the end of their time in office next year will wake up and realize that in an effort to put the "career" back in ‘career politician" – Perata and Nunez may end up making life as a legislator much more… austere. Hmmmm.
Date: May 14, 2007
Initiative No. 07-0010
The Attorney General of California has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:
BAN ON LEGISLATORS’ ACCEPTANCE OF ANYTHING OF VALUE FROM LOBBYISTS OR ENTITIES WHO EMPLOY LOBBYISTS. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Bans Legislators from accepting anything from: (1) entities that are members of trade associations that employ a lobbyist or lobbying firm; (2) entitles that engaged a lobbyist or lobbying firm during the preceding 12 months; or (3) lobbyist or lobbying firms. Requires public funds to be used to reimburse expenses for legislators who participate in a public policy meeting, conference or symposium funded, in whole or part, by a lobbyist, lobbying firm, lobbyist employer or trade association. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: This measure would have no significant financial impact.