The institutional evolution of the California Legislature has taken many forms over the last half-century. One of them, unfortunately, has been a tendency to emulate Congress.
The Legislature once prided itself on being different from its larger cousin in Washington – more transparent, more creative, less hidebound, etc.
Politicians who made the transition from the Legislature to Congress would often lament losing their ability to draft and carry single-subject pieces of legislation, being relegated to seeking tiny amendments in large omnibus bills, or being compelled to focus on minor local matters rather than major policy issues.
Slowly, but surely, the Legislature has adopted Washington’s ways.
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