Al's Opinions

California has 80 members in the State Assembly and 40 in the State Senate.  The State has more than 50 Congressional representatives, each with a population of about 700,000, more or less.  I guess that the Assembly districts have populations of about 400,000.  My point is that in California these districts are big.  The United States has the second largest representative districts of any democracy.  The largest districts are in India.

Our member of the Assembly, Bob Blumenfield, has resigned from the Assembly after being elected as a member of the Los Angeles City Council.  The term limits are more generous in Los Angeles than in the State at large.  Members of the Assembly are limited to six two-year terms per life time.  City Council members are limited to twelve years.  Mr. Blumenfield would have completed the sixth year of his membership in the Assembly if he had stayed until the end of his current term in 2014.

The district is considered a very safe district for Democrats.  This area has not elected a Republican Assemblyman or a Republican Congressman for more than 20 years.  There is a special election to be held in September to choose a replacement for Mr. Blumenfield and about six or more Democrats are actively campaigning for it.  It struck me that the California Primary Election law gives Republicans a chance to steal the seat.  It would work this way:  Let only two Republicans campaign.  There are so many Democrats in the race that they would split the Democratic vote among themselves.  The two Republicans might turn out to be the biggest vote getters.  Therefore, they would be the two candidates on the ballot in the run-off election, to be held later in the year.

Such an insane result could only happen in Dipsy-doodle California.