COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

County Manager’s Office

DATE:

December 10, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December 16, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

John L. Maltbie, County Manager

SUBJECT:

California Constitutional Convention

RECOMMENDATION: Approve a resolution in support of Senate Constitutional Resolution 3 (DeSaulnier-Blakeslee)

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government.

Goal #20: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact, rather than temporary gain.

BACKGROUND:

After more than a century of amendments to California’s Constitution it has now grown in size five times that of the U.S. Constitution. Among other things, the 150-page document allows the Legislature by 2/3 vote to call and conduct a convention to revise the constitution upon majority voter approval. The California Constitution has been revised twice in the past 40 years.

DISCUSSION:

Senate Constitutional Resolution 3, introduced last week by Democrat Senator Mark DeSaulnier with Republican Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, would call for the state to conduct a constitutional convention, subject to majority voter approval. There is little disagreement that the state’s legislative process is dysfunctional, the tax structure is antiquated and the supermajority threshold for spending unwieldy, evidencing the need for constitutional reforms. California Forward and the Bay Area Council both have called for a constitutional convention. Reforming the California Constitution is consistent with the Board of Supervisor’s legislative agenda.

FISCAL IMPACT: No direct cost to the County General Fund to conduct a state constitutional convention. The outcomes of such a process could however, have far-reaching and significant implications to financing state and local governments.