Assemblyman Charles Calderon, a moderate Democrat from Whittier, has introduced a constitutional amendment to make all of California's statewide elections "open primaries."
The legislation is of note as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger heads to the state's railroad museum to talk about political reform today. Back in October, Schwarzenegger suggested that open primaries could be the next political reform he will push.
California passed an open primary law in 1996, but it was thrown out by the courts in 2000. This year, the state of Washington had its own open primary law upheld by the Supreme Court, paving the legal way for open primaries in California.
Calderon's office said the assemblyman's legislation will be modeled after the Washington law.
CORRECTION: The original version of this post said that as drafted, the measure, ACA 6, would only apply to statewide races -- governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer and the like -- not legislative campaigns. The measure would apply to legislative races as well. We regret the error.
Photo: Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, on the floor on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008. Now-Sen. Mark DeSaulnier is in the background. Credit: Brian Baer/Sacramento Bee
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