Venture capitalist John Cox, an Illinois GOP activist who now lives in the San Diego area, is pushing a 2014 initiative that would defang the public-sector unions by -- get this -- dramatically expanding the number of legislators in the California Assembly and Senate. I write about it here in City Journal California. California has the least-representative Legislature, where one Assembly member represents nearly a half-million residents, which means that the average Californian has virtually no chance of even meeting his or her legislator. Compare that to New Hampshire, the most representative state, where there is one statehouse member for fewer than 4,000 residents. I like this idea because it doesn't try to rig the game to get a certain outcome (i.e., more liberals or more moderates), but instead tries to make the Legislature more representative and less beholden to special interests. In California, the most powerful interest groups are unions. Maybe it's grasping at straws, but I like the idea and am glad Cox is at least getting a discussion of it going.
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