The difference is that in the US, while the common man's ability to influence the federal government is basically zero, their ability to influence state and loc

The difference is that in the US, while the common man's ability to influence the federal government is basically zero, their ability to influence state and local governments is much stronger. Much of California's social, economic and political landscape is a result of political activism over the past few decades (setting aside whether one agrees with those policies, my point is how they came about). Which means that for things like amendments, people have alot more power than they do even over Congress.