Voices.

PHIL ISENBERG Former Democratic State Assemblyman 

"I'M an opponent of term limits. Proponents have the foolish belief that if you rotate politicians rapidly, that will fix things. Of course, it hasn't.

"But term limits aren't entirely to blame for the condition the Legislature is in. What they have given us is a Legislature that is a reflection of the California public today. And at the core of the problem is this fundamental paradox that has shown up in poll after poll: people are opposed to new taxes and they are also opposed to cutting state spending. The legislators up in Sacramento have demonstrated that same belief.

"That's not to say that we shouldn't change term limits. I think we should, especially the six years in the Assembly. It just won't get at the deeper problems."

"I believe reapportionment should be left up to the courts or a commission, not to legislators who stand to benefit from the way they draw the lines. It would also remove the contentious nature of reapportionment.

STATE SEN. JOHN VASCONCELLOS, D-SAN JOSE Longest Continually Serving State Legislator 

"TERM limits have left our Legislature almost fatally handicapped--without the memory, relationships or loyalty, which are necessary conditions for the development and enactment of sound public policy.

"Term limits transfer power to lobbyists and the better organized interests, as well as longtime bureaucrats. Why? Because new legislators do not have time to master the intricacies and details of the policies governing each element of public life.

"In our 2002 elections, we did get almost the same number of Democrats and Republicans in each house (actually, the Republicans gained one Senate seat and two Assembly seats), yet most of both the Republicans and the Democrats who won their own party primary and went on to be elected were less in the center. They occupied not only safe seats, but more partisan seats.

"So when it came time for us to come together and collaborate in passing a budget this past spring, there was little middle ground.

"Our current partisan reapportionment plan left us with only 17 Legislative districts that are competitive. The rest of the seats were guaranteed to one or the other of our two major political parties.

From a series of memos he calls "Dean of the Legislature's Reflections."

CURT PRINGLE Former Republican State Assemblyman

"I was the first legislator to support the current term limits law. But what I dislike about the law is the disproportionate limits in each house. This has diminished the value of a bicameral legislature, making the Senate the more powerful body in which the major negotiations take place.

"A lot of people want to blow up the present system of term limits. But the California electorate supports term limits.

"My suggestion for reform is for a universal 12-year term limit, served in either house or as a combined total in both houses. That way, the total time served in the Legislature would actually be less than it is today, but you could gain experience in one house or the other, if you so chose.

"I think the biggest problem with today's Legislature is the last reapportionment, which created these 'safe seats.' There's no competition for a legislator after that first election. You should always have to look over your shoulder to make sure you don't anger the electorate.