California Assembly announces committee chairs

BY JEREMY B. WHITE

A new California Assembly class has been sworn in – and now members have begun to receive the committee assignments that will guide the fate of legislation and shape the power dynamics of the Democratic caucus.

Committee assignments, and particularly committee chairmanships, matter for a variety of reasons. Committee leaders have substantial sway over which bills get hearings and which bills perish quietly. Most significant bills must pass through the Assembly Appropriations Committee, for instance, and the Budget Committee chair has a key role in shaping the annual budget bill. Campaign contributions often flow to members who sit on committees overseeing powerful industries.

And with Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, holding power only through 2015, committee assignments are sure to prompt speculation about who is in position to next seek the leadership mantle.

Atkins’ office announced committee chairs for the new session Wednesday morning – the list is below. Last session’s committee leaders are in parentheses. An asterisk (*) next to former chairs indicates that the member no longer serves in the Assembly.

Accountability and Administrative Review: Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield (Assemblyman Jim Frazier)

Aging And Long-Term Care Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino (Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada,*)

Agriculture: Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno (Assemblywoman Susan Eggman)

Appropriations: Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles (Assemblyman Mike Gatto)

Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media:Assemblyman Ian Calderon, D-Whittier (was Calderon)

Banking and Finance: Assemblyman Matthew Dababneh, D-Los Angeles (Assemblyman Roger Dickinson*)

Budget: Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego (Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner*)

Business, Professions and Consumer Protection: Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord (Bonilla)

Education: Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach(Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan*)

Elections and Redistricting: Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, D-Culver City (Assemblyman Paul Fong*)

Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials: Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville (Alejo)

Governmental Organization: Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced (Assemblyman Isadore Hall*)

Health: Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland (Assemblyman Richard Pan*)

Higher Education: Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside (Assemblyman Das Williams)

Housing and Community Development: Assemblyman Ed Chau, D-Monterey Park (Chau)

Human Services: Assemblyman Kansen Chu, D-San Jose (Assemblyman Mark Stone)

Insurance: Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim (Assemblyman Henry Perea)

Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy: Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Riverside (Assemblyman Jose Medina)

Judiciary: Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley (Assemblyman Bob Wieckoswki*)

Labor and Employment: Assemblyman Roger Hernández, D-West Covina (Hernández)

Local Government: Assembly members Brian Maienschein (chair) and Lorena Gonzalez (vice chair) (Assembly members Katcho Achadjian and Marc Levine)

Natural Resources: Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara (Assemblyman Wes Chesbro*)

Privacy and Consumer Protection: Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), Chair (new committee)

Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security: Bonta (Bonta)

Public Safety: Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward (Assemblyman Tom Ammiano*)

Revenue and Taxation: Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco (Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra*)

Rules: Assemblyman Richard Gordon, D-Menlo Park (Gordon)

Transportation: Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley (Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal*)

Utilities and Commerce: Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood (Assemblyman Steven Bradford*)

Veterans Affairs: Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks (Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva*)

Water, Parks and Wildlife: Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael (Rendon)

Call Jeremy B. White, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5543.

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Field Poll: Broad concern about wealth gap, disagreement on minimum wage

A majority of Californians don’t like the way income and wealth are distributed in the state, but they divide by political ideology and party affiliation and about how much government should do to reduce disparities between the wealthiest people and the rest of the population, according to a new Field Poll.

A majority of Democrats – 57 percent – say the state should raise the minimum wage more than it already is scheduled to go up, while 70 percent of Republicans say currently scheduled increases are adequate or already too much.

The poll’s release comes a day after the minimum wage in California rose to $9 an hour, and it offers rare insight into how immigrants in California view economic conditions here differently than Californians born in the United States. While adults born outside the United States are more likely than U.S.-born residents to be satisfied with the way income and wealth are distributed in California, they are far more likely to say government should do more to reduce the disparity that exists, including increasing the minimum wage.

“Even though the U.S.-born residents see the problem more clearly ... they are more hesitant to have government do anything about it,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the poll. “Politically, they’re a more conservative population overall than the immigrant population.”

Overall, 54 percent of California adults say they are dissatisfied with the way income and wealth are distributed in the state, while 38 percent say they are satisfied, according to the poll. Nearly 60 percent of residents say the gap between wealthy Californians and the rest of the population is larger than in the past, and about two-thirds of adults say government should do “some” or “a lot” to reduce the gap.

Forty-eight percent of adults say the minimum wage should be increased more, while 37 percent say current scheduled increases are adequate, according to the poll. Ten percent of California adults say the minimum wage already has been raised too much.

Legislation that raised the minimum wage to $9 an hour passed last year and will raise the hourly minimum to $10 in 2016. A California Assembly panel last week rejected a bill that would raise the state's minimum wage even higher.

Lisa Radoycis, a poll respondent from Rocklin, said the minimum wage is already more than enough and that government should concern itself with basic services, not disparities in wealth.

“I don’t think it’s a government thing,” said Radoycis, a school librarian who described herself as conservative. “I don’t think it’s for them to do.”

Tom Metry, a Republican from Fresno, disagreed. The retired math teacher said raising the minimum wage could help low earners improve their lives in a community where he said he knows many people who have to work two or more jobs.

“That’s the only way we’re going to level things out,” Metry said. “It’s got to be some type of fair equity.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/02/6527682/poll-shows-broad-concern-about.html#mi_rss=State%20Politics#storylink=cpy

Bill to let non-citizens work at California polls heads to governor Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/08/bill-allowing-non-citizens-to-be-poll-workers-heads-to-governor.html#storylink=cpy

A bill that would allow legal immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to serve as poll workers is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk after passing its final vote Thursday.

After some partisan discussions, the Assembly agreed to technical amendments made in the Senate toAssembly Bill 817 by Democrat Rob Bonta of Alameda.

AB 817 would allow an election official to appoint up to five people who are not U.S. citizens to serve as poll workers at each precinct. The non-citizens would have to be lawful permanent residents who meet all the other requirements for being eligible to vote except for citizenship.

Bonta said the measure would increase language access for voters.

"There are nearly 3 million citizens who are fully eligible to vote and not English proficient," Bonta said.

"We have a shortage of multilingual poll workers in the state of California," he added. "There has to be language access at the polls."

Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen of Modesto said she didn't buy into that logic.

"Let's keep in mind what poll workers can and cannot do," Olsen told fellow Assembly members during floor debate. "Poll workers cannot go into a voting booth with a voter, cannot read the ballot to the voter, cannot help them understand what they are voting on."

Republicans have opposed the bill since it was first introduced. The bill originally passed the Assembly in May on a 49-23 vote. Last month, the Senate passed it 22-10. The bill returned to the Assembly on Thursday for concurrence on minor changes made in the Senate.

"If somebody is not registered to vote and they aren't a citizen and they can't vote, then why would they even want to sit at the poll?" asked Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, R-Dana Point. "What could possibly entice them? Is this just another career path? I'm a bit confused."

Democrats focused their rebuttal on pointing out that legal residents who are not U.S. citizens can serve in the military but are not welcome to serve as poll workers.

"It's offensive to suggest that those people could go and put their lives on the line for their country and go off to war in Iraq or Afghanistan, but when they come back home, they are unfit to serve as a poll worker," said Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville. "That's offensive."

PHOTO: An elections assistant instructs a class of poll workers in this 1998 file photo. The Sacramento Bee / Owen Brewer.

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/08/bill-allowing-non-citizens-to-be-poll-workers-heads-to-governor.html#storylink=cpy

California Democrats seize super majorities in both houses of Legislature

SACRAMENTO -- Democrats appear to have seized a super majority in both legislative chambers, which would give them the ability to approve taxes without Republican support.

Under the radar, with all the attention focused on Proposition 30, California voters ushered in a new era in state politics not seen in nearly eight decades: Now, for the first time since 1933, the ruling party would have two-thirds majorities in both chambers and free rein in a startling transformation that neuters Republicans in Sacramento to a new level of irrelevancy.

Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, announced early Wednesday morning that he is confident Democrats have captured the two extra seats they needed to secure 54 seats, a two-thirds majority.

And Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has also said he is confident Democrats will hold a two-thirds majority, though with two Democrats leaving for Congress, they will have to hold special elections early next year to maintain it.

"A working two-thirds majority will allow the Senate to move forward with balanced solutions to spur economic growth and improve our system of governance," said Steinberg, D-Sacramento. "At the same time, this newfound capability means the Democratic majority will be held accountable for those decisions. We intend to exercise leadership with humility."

In a news conference Wednesday, Brown reiterated his pledge to not sign taxes without a vote of the people,setting up a potential clash with legislative Democrats who may be eager to fill more funding holes.

But he said "we're not into the threat game here," and that he wasn't "drawing lines in the sand" with veto threats.

Brown, who was governor for two terms in the late 1970s and early '80s, called his relationship with the Legislature "better than it ever has been in my 10 years" as governor.

With almost 54 percent of the vote, Brown refused to call the victory of Proposition 30 a mandate, but it "vindicated my confidence that the people of California can make very sound judgments." Still, he said, he didn't want to "overread" the message of voters.

"But given the massive opposition and skepticism about whether or not state government can handle any more money, I see this as a vote of confidence, with some reservations," he said. "The real lesson is voters have trusted their elected representatives, and maybe me to some extent, and we've got to meet that trust. We've got to make sure over the next several years that we pay our bills, invest in the right programs but we don't go out on any spending binges."

Brown spoke of a busy agenda for next year that included regulatory reform, water reform, getting the high-speed rail project off the ground, education reform and the budget.

Before the election, most observers expected Democrats to take a two-thirds majority in the Senate but considered an Assembly super majority to be a long shot at best.

Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, R-Visalia, conceded the loss, though she warned Democrats against overreaching.

"The voters have spoken, and I respect the voice of the people," Conway said. "By no means should the majority party interpret these results as a mandate. Millions of Californians opposed the governor's tax hikes and shared our view that job creation is the best revenue generator for the state.

"Republicans will hold the majority party accountable for delivering their promise to voters that these tax hikes will go to our classrooms and not big government."

via Mercury News