Los Angeles Times Column on Huge Population of California Legislative Districts

John Myers, chief politics reporter for the Los Angeles Times, has this story about why many believe that California legislative districts have too many residents for effective democracy.


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Los Angeles Times Column on Huge Population of California Legislative Districts — 5 Comments

  1. We’ve got the same problem in the House of Representatives. The house should be gradually expanded after each census.

  2. From the 1790 census to the 1910 Census, the House membership was increased due to territories becoming states and joining the Union. With the New Mexico territory being the final one remaining, that was expected to join the Union as either 1 or 2 states, Congress decided to freeze the House membership at the 435 that was calculated in 1910. At that point the average population of a House seat had ALREADY grown from a little over 60,000 to roughly 210,000.

    That was also with the average delegation size increasing from 5/state to slightly over 9 in 120 years. So it would not be anything out of line at all for the U. S. House membership to be increased to 13/state for the 2030 census. Not that its likely anyone in the House would propose doing so now, or in the near future. Which then reduces the average population to roughly (?)550-560 thousand in 2030 from something around (?)825,000.

    In order for this to be done anyways, Congress would need to substantially increase the area of the Capitol Building where the House floor currently exists OR build an annex for the House to meet and acquire substantial additional space to all these new members Offices somewheres nearby. There would also need to be a very long discussion about this expansion being a one-time event or programming in a timetable for further increasing the size of the U. S. House after every 3 or 4 censuses. Which combined with the slower rate of population growth likely in the 21st Century versus the 19th and 20th eventually the population size per District will decline.

  3. Federalist 45, para 9

    The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.

    —-
    Nonstop perversion opinions by the SCOTUS hacks since 1789 — to destroy the States — and produce the power mad freaks in Devil City.

    PR and AppV

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