ARTICLE
Governor Brown and California State Legislature end the legislative session this week - closing out the year with a flurry of action, bill signings, and photos ops. Each October as our days seem to be shorter and the kids are back in school - the Governor responds to nearly 1000 bills with a stroke of the pen approving a bill or vetoing them. Of the 977 bills that crossed his desk this session, the Governor vetoed 187. The winners: new parents, women, undocumented immigrants and future community college students won major legislative victories this year in California - just before last Sunday’s midnight deadline, Governor Jerry Brown ended a session defined by progressive social policy, anti-Trump resistance and a business-friendly ethos. California passed climate and transportation-tax deals that drew sharp criticism from some environmentalists for their concessions to industry, while a clean-energy bill, a single-payer health care proposal and other measures favored by the more liberal members of California - but opposed by business or labor interests - stalled. Bay Area News Group writer, Katy Murphy captured the end of the session with this article. Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College and longtime political and policy analyst stated the obvious, “The one thing he (President Trump) wants most in life is respect, and it’s something the Legislature didn’t give him.” The Governor, however, vetoed a bill that would require presidential candidates to provide copies of her/his tax returns to find a place on the primary ballot. Brown wrote in his veto message: “Today we require tax returns, but what would be next?” in vetoing SB 149, “Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate?” The winners: Community college students - California is cutting many first-year community college students a break on tuition. Brown signed Assembly Bill 19 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, which allows community colleges to waive tuition for all first-time, full-time students for one year. The Department of Finance estimates it could cost the state more than $30 million annually. New babies (and their parents): Parents who work at small businesses will be able to take time to bond with their babies or adopted children and still have a job to return to after 12 weeks. Brown last week signed Senate Bill 63 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, to extend 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave job protections to new parents who work at businesses with 20-49 employees. No economic analysis follows what this will cost a small business employer. The Governor also signed a package of bills to address the California housing crisis. He signed a bill to protect the state’s health care system. California increased Medicare payments to doctors and passed Senate Bill 133 by Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, which will allow Californians to continue a “course of treatment” with the same doctor. Several of this year’s legislative proposals were ‘reactionary’ to what is coming out of Washington. A few questions come to mind: Will our legislative action here impact the State as we roll into an election year where it is very clear the majority of Californians do not agree (polite term for ‘do not like or trust’) the Trump administration? Will the political divide between California and Washington continue to widen forcing the state to handle the financial burdens on these policies if the Trump Administration continues its current course? In the world of policy and politics - California usually drives to its own economic destiny engaging Washington policy leaders when necessity calls. That has been the case recently as California has declared state of emergencies earlier this year responding to floods and now the raging fires that are destroying entire communities. And the latest request - health emergency - because of hepatitis A is another example where cooperation between local, state and the federal government must come first over politics. In a single year, I don’t recall seeing such progressive legislation coming out of Sacramento during a time when the state faces natural disaster after disaster. Can this be a fore tell sign of things to come? As we close out 2017 and look toward the next election year cycle, be prepared for some interesting twists and turns. There is a very competitive race for Governor (mainly Democrats who are described as more left leaning than the present Governor). The fall-out in Washington may bring out new challengers to Republican incumbents in California Congressional districts with a direct attack on the current GOP majority in the House of Representatives. Just this week, we learned that California’s senior Senator Dianne Feinstein — a 24 year incumbent who has never faced a tough re-election has a Democratic opponent, state Senate leader, Kevin de Leon who is siding to the far left of his party. We already know there will be a state housing bond and a park bond on the June 2018 primary ballot. With the furor mounting because of the internal divide in the Democratic party; the unknown reaction in the shirking Republican party and the growing independent voting block will create a larger than normal voter turn-out for an off presidential election year. What will this mean to down ticket races (city council, board of supervisors and potentially local initiatives) where top of the ticket voters’ intention may shift the balance at the bottom of the ballot? Stay tuned - 2018 will be an interesting political year.
Governor Brown and California State Legislature end the legislative session this week - closing out the year with a flurry of action, bill signings, and photos ops.
Each October as our days seem to be shorter and the kids are back in school - the Governor responds to nearly 1000 bills with a stroke of the pen approving a bill or vetoing them. Of the 977 bills that crossed his desk this session, the Governor vetoed 187.
The winners: new parents, women, undocumented immigrants and future community college students won major legislative victories this year in California - just before last Sunday’s midnight deadline, Governor Jerry Brown ended a session defined by progressive social policy, anti-Trump resistance and a business-friendly ethos. California passed climate and transportation-tax deals that drew sharp criticism from some environmentalists for their concessions to industry, while a clean-energy bill, a single-payer health care proposal and other measures favored by the more liberal members of California - but opposed by business or labor interests - stalled.
Bay Area News Group writer, Katy Murphy captured the end of the session with this article.
Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College and longtime political and policy analyst stated the obvious, “The one thing he (President Trump) wants most in life is respect, and it’s something the Legislature didn’t give him.”
The Governor, however, vetoed a bill that would require presidential candidates to provide copies of her/his tax returns to find a place on the primary ballot. Brown wrote in his veto message: “Today we require tax returns, but what would be next?” in vetoing SB 149, “Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate?”
The winners: Community college students - California is cutting many first-year community college students a break on tuition. Brown signed Assembly Bill 19 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, which allows community colleges to waive tuition for all first-time, full-time students for one year. The Department of Finance estimates it could cost the state more than $30 million annually.
New babies (and their parents): Parents who work at small businesses will be able to take time to bond with their babies or adopted children and still have a job to return to after 12 weeks. Brown last week signed Senate Bill 63 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, to extend 12 weeks of unpaid maternity or paternity leave job protections to new parents who work at businesses with 20-49 employees. No economic analysis follows what this will cost a small business employer.
The Governor also signed a package of bills to address the California housing crisis.
He signed a bill to protect the state’s health care system. California increased Medicare payments to doctors and passed Senate Bill 133 by Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, which will allow Californians to continue a “course of treatment” with the same doctor. Several of this year’s legislative proposals were ‘reactionary’ to what is coming out of Washington.
A few questions come to mind: Will our legislative action here impact the State as we roll into an election year where it is very clear the majority of Californians do not agree (polite term for ‘do not like or trust’) the Trump administration? Will the political divide between California and Washington continue to widen forcing the state to handle the financial burdens on these policies if the Trump Administration continues its current course?
In the world of policy and politics - California usually drives to its own economic destiny engaging Washington policy leaders when necessity calls. That has been the case recently as California has declared state of emergencies earlier this year responding to floods and now the raging fires that are destroying entire communities. And the latest request - health emergency - because of hepatitis A is another example where cooperation between local, state and the federal government must come first over politics.
In a single year, I don’t recall seeing such progressive legislation coming out of Sacramento during a time when the state faces natural disaster after disaster. Can this be a fore tell sign of things to come?
As we close out 2017 and look toward the next election year cycle, be prepared for some interesting twists and turns. There is a very competitive race for Governor (mainly Democrats who are described as more left leaning than the present Governor). The fall-out in Washington may bring out new challengers to Republican incumbents in California Congressional districts with a direct attack on the current GOP majority in the House of Representatives. Just this week, we learned that California’s senior Senator Dianne Feinstein — a 24 year incumbent who has never faced a tough re-election has a Democratic opponent, state Senate leader, Kevin de Leon who is siding to the far left of his party.
We already know there will be a state housing bond and a park bond on the June 2018 primary ballot. With the furor mounting because of the internal divide in the Democratic party; the unknown reaction in the shirking Republican party and the growing independent voting block will create a larger than normal voter turn-out for an off presidential election year.
What will this mean to down ticket races (city council, board of supervisors and potentially local initiatives) where top of the ticket voters’ intention may shift the balance at the bottom of the ballot? Stay tuned - 2018 will be an interesting political year.