Call for Papers
Rebooting California: Initiatives, Conventions & Government Reform
Loyola Law School
Los Angeles
September 24, 2010
Drafts due Sept. 1, 2010 and final manuscripts by October 11, 2010
Loyola Law School Los Angeles and the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review are pleased to announce a Symposium on a California Constitutional Convention and Constitutional Reform. The on-campus symposium is scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2010. Articles and essays will be published in the Winter 2011 issue of the Law Review. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, the Center for Governmental Studies and the Civil Justice Program at Loyola.
We are soliciting proposals for articles on topics related to the calling of a constitutional convention, structural reform of California government, and substantive state constitutional law issues such as fiscal constraints, term limits, or the initiative process itself.
An increasing chorus of voices is calling for a constitutional convention in California as a remedy for what many perceive as dysfunctional state governance and never-ending budget crises. Two sets of initiatives are currently in circulation for the November, 2010 ballot that would call a convention. Proponents of a constitutional convention believe that existing structural infirmities are too numerous and serious to correct through existing legislative and initiative processes, and that only a new constitution can get California back on the right track. Many groups, newspapers and political leaders (including Governor Schwarzenegger) have endorsed the idea of a constitutional convention. It would be the state’s third, and the first in 130 years. A number of other initiatives have been filed that would restructure the state constitution in a more limited fashion.
A possible constitutional convention poses both opportunity and concern, not just for California, but also for other states that closely watch our progress. Just as delegates to the 1849 convention borrowed from other state constitutions, a new constitution for California could serve as a model for reformulated governments elsewhere. Or it could be a dismal failure. It could erode rights, threaten public programs, or obstruct government functions.
As scholars, civic and policy leaders, we have an opportunity to help shape the public debate on a number of critical questions relating to the calling of a convention: a) does California need a new or substantially revised constitution; b) how might a convention be called; c) how would a convention, constitutional revision commission, or other mechanism be structured and operate; and d) what improvements over the existing structure and set of rights would we like to see emerge? For instance, can the voters call a convention? That seemingly simple question may get tested with two ballot initiatives currently in circulation and others being drafted.
Whether or not a constitutional convention is on the ballot in November, 2010, we believe the issue will remain a vital one for some years to come. The core legal and political issues we will engage in the symposium are systemic ones and go to the root of self-governance. It bears recalling that California voters used the 1909-10 elections for Governor and Legislature as vehicles for constitutional reform. A century later, we may be asked to repeat the process.
We anticipate that the symposium will be well attended by scholars, elected officials, civic leaders, the media, and others interested in the future of California government. The event will be a major undertaking for the Law School. The live event will likely be webcast or telecast.
Details:
Questions and proposals should be sent to karl.manheim@lls.edu
Drafts are due Sept. 1, 2010 and final manuscripts by October 11, 2010
Loyola will pay all reasonable travel expenses of presenters
More information on the symposium can be found on our website: http://calconst.org
Contribute to our blog - http://calconst.org/blog