For post-shutdown reform ideas, many look to California (LA Times)

For post-shutdown reform ideas, many look to California

Anger over the government shutdown sparks new interest in the state's efforts to create a more moderate, less partisan body of elected officials.

By Evan Halper
October 18, 2013

WASHINGTON — Not long ago, California was so deep in crisis that top officials pleaded with Washington for a financial bailout. A lot has changed. Now, in the wake of the federal government shutdown, many in Washington are looking to California for guidance.

Over the last several years, California has upended its entire system of electing politicians. The state has become a national pioneer in efforts aimed at creating a more moderate, responsive body of elected officials less inclined to dig partisan trenches.

Whether those plans have worked remains unclear. Nevertheless, the government shutdown has prompted a surge of interest in the state's new system. Efforts to import similar revisions elsewhere are in full swing.

"A crisis like this leads people to think about ways we can avoid it ever happening again," said Tim Storey, an elections analyst at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "There is going to be a lot of discussion about these type of reforms now."

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-shutdown-reform-20131019,0,5102606.story