Jackson –The Amador County Board of Supervisors debated the merits of a Constitutional Convention for the State of California during their meeting Tuesday. Supervisor Louis Boitano added the item to the agenda for discussion and possible approval of a resolution in support of Repair California, an east bay coalition of reform, advocacy and business groups that is pushing for a limited constitutional convention. Bay Area Council President Jim Wunderman, whose group is part of the coalition, urged Boitano to help “fix the system and restore the balance of power between the state and local governments.” Boitano agreed and said the cause is important because “California seems to be hijacked by special interests.” He reminded the Supervisors that “22 times the (State Legislature) has failed to deliver a budget on time in the last 30 years.” Vice-Chairman Brian Oneto, who was heading up the day’s proceedings because Chairman Ted Novelli was ill, was skeptical about whether a convention is necessary. Boitano said, “I know you have a problem with who they might put on this” because “they are from the East Bay.” The power to convene a Constitutional Convention is currently decided by a vote in the legislature- something Boitano sees as entirely unfair. According to its website, Repair California’s proposal is to “empower the people” to call for a “limited” Constitutional Convention that will focus on governance issues. The group recently turned in measures to the attorney general’s office that would select 465 people to conduct limited redrafting of basic state laws. Upon the attorney general’s approval, they will have until mid-April to gather 694,435 registered voter’s signatures to qualify for the November 2010 ballot. During an interview last Monday at TSPN, Supervisor Richard Forster said he has “not really been a proponent” of the cause in the past but likes that Repair California is “asking for a limited Constitutional Convention to only address specific items, basically governance and taxation and avoiding social issues.” County Administrative Officer said “there are currently several groups with several propositions” for a convention. Forster made a motion to draft a resolution until they learn more about Repair California. The motion was passed 4-0. Said Boitano: “I just want to make the Golden State golden again.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.