High Punditry Consensus On Ditching 2/3

I really don't know where this came from other than the shrinking class of California political pundits just understanding common sense, but they are all gradually coming on board with the notion that what's killing the state is the 2/3 requirement, and that until it's fixed, nothing in the Capitol will materially change.

Most of George Skelton's column today concerns the "dance of death" - a ritual slaughtering of budget proposals through the normal legislative process until one survivor comes out on top. There is too much of a top-down approach in the legislature, with the Big 5 making the determination on the budget instead of the relevant committees having a crack at it. But near the end, Skelton reveals the truth:

My nomination for additional budget reform: Eliminate the ludicrous requirement of a two-thirds legislative vote for passage of a budget. Only two other states suffer the same straitjacket. California would have had a budget weeks ago if it could have been passed by a simple majority vote. The governor still would have the final say with his paring knife.

This mirrors exactly what conservative Dan Walters said in his column the day before. Walters wants to keep the requirement for tax votes, but he does seem to understand that without the accountability that a majority budget vote provides, there's no way to peg the fortunes or failures of the state on any one political party. Not only does it hinder legislators from doing their jobs, it impedes the opportunity for voters to determine the cause and effect. It's the "killer app" for governmental reform, and must be the first, last and only step in the short term to end the perpetual crisis at the heart of a broken system.

Now, this reform will not come easy. Republicans will caterwaul at losing the only leverage they currently own. The only path to this solution comes with actually getting a 2/3 majority in both chambers, and then offering the solution up for a vote in time for the next governor to reap the rewards. The Drive for 2/3 is monumentally important (and it's likely to be a two-cycle process) to restore functionality to Sacramento and allow legislators to do the work their constituents sent them to the Capitol to do.