Prop. 165 and the Balance of Powers

I am disturbed that Proposition 165 is becoming a Republican vs. Democratic issue (“Local Vote Could Put Prop. 165 Over Top, Oct. 28). The constitutional amendment would serve to give any governor, Republican or Democratic, the same power over the budget and over the will of the Legislature.

We may approve of Gov. Pete Wilson’s priorities; would we have approved of Gov. Jerry Brown’s, or Kathleen Brown’s, or Willie Brown’s? Remember, Gov. George Deukmejian would have eliminated the state Coastal Commission and the state Office of Family Planning had he been given this power.

This is not a partisan political issue. It is a serious constitutional amendment that will be with us forever, even as governors come and go. It would cause a basic change in the balance of powers between the legislative and executive branches, as was written into our federal Constitution more than 200 years ago to prevent despotic acts by any one branch of government.

That’s why such disparate groups as the California Republican Assembly, the State PTA, the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters and many others oppose this measure.

LEE PODOLAK

Orange