Senate Democrats' supermajority could be

Wholesale Swimwear swimwear clearance Senate Democrats' supermajority could be restored this year if Sen. Roderick Wright's recent felony conviction for perjury and voter fraud is upheld at a
court hearing May 16 and he resigns, forcing a special election in a district that is predominantly Democratic.
Wright, who represents an Inglewood district, took a leave of absence shortly before Calderon.
But unless a contender wins outright in the primary, that seat would not be filled before the legislative session ends. And 20 seats — half of the Senate —
are up for election this year. It is unclear whether the Democrats will come back with a supermajority in 2015.
Meanwhile, the lack of one is likely to hinder the redrafting of an $11-billion water bond on the November ballot to make it smaller and more likely to be
approved by voters. Republicans will have leverage to make demands in that process in exchange for the votes needed to revise the measure.
A bill that would tax oil drilled from the ground in California is unlikely to pass without a supermajority. And Gov. Jerry Brown could be stymied in his
plans to put a measure on the ballot to create new rules for a rainy-day fund.
In the long term, the lack of a supermajority would be likely to prevent Democrats from pursuing changes to Proposition 13 — reducing the vote required for
local tax increases, for example.
Any constitutional amendment would pass only if Republicans were given a seat at the negotiating table.
The legislative process is healthier without a supermajority, said Peter DeMarco, a spokesman for the Senate Republican Caucus.
"It means that legislation will appropriately get bipartisan consideration, and that's good for all Californians," he said.