Anderson citizens and council members brainstorm over state legislature's problems

Anderson City Council held a forum Thursday, Sept. 10, to gather opinions from citizens about how to reform aspects of state legislature. Six people attended the forum and exchanged ideas with council members.

The forum was held in to provide Anderson's input with the Shasta County region's response to state issues and to talk about what they think needs to happen in state government, councilwoman Melissa Hunt said.

Some ideas discussed included the pros and cons of convening a Constitutional Convention to consider changes to the state's constitution, eliminating the two-house legislature in favor of a one-house legislature, reforming senate term limits, and returning the senate to a part-time legislature.

Hunt said the majority at the meeting was against the idea of redoing the state constitution, so that would be the point that she would like to add when cities and county officials get back together. No date was set, she said.

Hunt and others also agreed with Mayor Butch Schaefer's preference for a part-time senate.

"They should be involved in the community rather than being career politicians in Sacramento," Genavra Williamson said. "They're disconnected from their communities."

"Established in 1997, the CCS Partnership is a joint effort of the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and California School Boards Association (CSBA)," according to the CCS Partnership Web site. "The Partnership promotes the development of public policies that build and preserve communities by encouraging local collaborative efforts among California's 478 cities, 58 counties and more than 1,000 school boards and districts the partners represent."