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New Speaker Sworn-in: Bipartisanship, Budget and Reform are Top Priorities

 

New Speaker Sworn-in: Bipartisanship, Budget and Reform are Top Priorities
The Speaker of the Assembly (Speaker) is one of the most powerful elected positions in California. Historically, Assembly Speakers have wielded considerable power over legislators, public policy and elections. They serve as the primary voice of the Assembly and manage the day-to-day business of that house of the Legislature. Since the passage of the 1990 term limits law, limiting an Assembly member’s term to a maximum of six years – three two-year terms – the Speaker’s power has also been limited.
Monday’s swearing-in of Assemblyman John Perez (D-Los Angeles), a former labor union official and first term legislator, as California’s 68th Speaker of the Assembly is considered a first step in restoring the speakership’s waning power. Prior to term limits, Assembly Speakers generally held their leadership position for approximately 8 years, allowing them ample time to garner and exert political power. Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown is the most recent of the powerful Speakers; he tenaciously controlled and managed the Assembly for 15 years (1980-1995). During Brown’s tenure, he effectively used his position and authority to maintain order and concentrate his power. In the 15 years following Brown’s speakership, there have been 10 Assembly Speakers including Perez, and few with the ability to generate the political power or clout necessary to effectively lead the Assembly.
The Democrat-led Assembly that elected John Perez as Speaker does not envision him becoming another Willie Brown. However, they point to his freshman status and his perceived ability to work with the Legislature’s diverse membership, with hopes that he might consolidate power and get things done. 
Further, the Democrat Caucus believes Speaker Perez will help restore public confidence in the Legislature, surmising that the public’s growing frustration with the Legislature’s ineffectiveness is a result of weak leadership. Perez’s ascension, in their minds, gives him five years to establish and cultivate his political power and leadership. 
In his acceptance address, Perez demonstrated his determination to become a strong Speaker when he stated, “I intend to lead as you expect me to: boldly, creatively, and decisively.”
Speaker Perez also acknowledged in his address what polls have repeatedly shown –Californians expect legislators to work together to address the public’s priorities. He mentioned how California families are hurting and are frustrated with the Legislature because legislators refuse to focus on issues that provide “real help” in resolving California’s pressing fiscal and societal problems. 
Perez’s words expressed a strong desire to resolve California’s projected $20 billion deficit, 12.4% jobless rate and California’s struggling economy. However, the installation ceremony which preceded his speech appeared inconsistent with the new Speaker’s stated priorities. The elaborate political ceremony focused more on Perez’s sexual orientation and homosexual political advancements than a commitment to solve California’s immediate problems.
As one Bay Area columnist writes, “Perez used the power of his position to spotlight the continuing fight for full marriage equality.” He also specifically chose State Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno to administer the oath of office, because Moreno was the only judge to vote to overturn the express will of California voters in the state trial over Prop 8. According to Perez, Moreno “was the only justice to stand with us in the court case. It just reinforced the magic of the moment for me.” The carefully choreographed event, with numerous politicians and special interest groups in attendance, overshadowed the bipartisan tone Perez had hoped to set.
Nonetheless, Perez’s 20 minute speech was intended to demonstrate his strong leadership skills and chart a new bipartisan course in the state Assembly. During his comments, he shared that he valued the service and dedication of all the legislators, Democrat and Republican alike, and vowed that all ideas would be heard and considered going forward. Traditionally, Republican ideas and bills have received limited or no consideration in the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Perez repeatedly spoke of the need to work together, highlighting times when he worked with Republicans to achieve a common goal. 
In an effort to set the right tone and foster bipartisanship, Perez announced that he was appointing two Republican legislators to serve as Policy Committee Chairpersons. During the post-swearing-in ceremony press conference, he reaffirmed his commitment to bipartisanship and the need to focus on California’s budget crisis and creating jobs as his top priorities.
Perez also made “reform” a central theme of his speakership. He explained that “real reform” only occurs when there is bipartisan cooperation. The reform efforts envisioned include: removing the two-thirds vote requirement to approve the state budget; changing the Big 5 meeting process (from the closed-door budget meetings between the governor and Republican and Democrat leaders from the Assembly and Senate); and prohibiting text messaging between legislators and special interest lobbyists while in committee or in session.
As Perez stated in his speech, “…actions speak louder than words.” Perez is not the first politician to proclaim an end to partisanship and the beginning of “real reform.” Although his message resonates with the sentiments of California voters, his effectiveness in changing Sacramento’s contentious culture to focus the Assembly on the voters’ priorities remains to be seen. Californians are anxiously waiting to see their elected representatives place the people’s priorities over the demands of special interest groups. California Family Council will continue to monitor Speaker Perez’s progress as he takes the Assembly’s leadership reins. 
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