If the Daily Breeze wants see-through government, then they should stop talking to the legislators, stop pleading with Sacramento, and start getting the reports out about public sector union collusion with Democratic legislators.
The best security against misrule is "publicity" claimed Jeremy Bentham, not asking really nicely for legislators to come clean about what they do in the "hallowed" or "hollowed" halls of the state legislature.
Expanding disclosure of campaign donations is nice. Better yet, why not broaden the freedom of individual workers who do not want their labor dues financing public sector union lobbying.
Rein in ballot box budgeting — this little "hold-over" from the progressive area wanted to give "the people" more power over the spending in Sacramento, when in reality the locked spending has given legislators more cover for the spending sprees and the extravagance of Big Government,
Legislators like Felipe Fuentes wanted to make it easier for illegal immigrants to enter this state, yet this provision entered into a previous bill which had to do with "vehicle pollution." What better way to stop "gut and amend" but to amend our gut-reaction to such politicking and "share our spleen" at election day? Too many people in this state are not paying enough attention. Someone should make this awareness more obvious and accessible.
Last of all, there is "vote-switching," in which legislators add their votes to bills after the fact. Are they casting their votes as they should, or not? What's going on?
Yes, Daily Breeze, these reforms must start from the grassroots to the political elites. From the bottom to the top, one might say, even though popular government is supposed to start and end with the voters, right?
If the local press want "See-Through" Government, it's time for us to see through the apparent good-will of legislators and pay attention to what they are doing.