Lawmakers returned to Sacramento with a bang Wednesday, kicking off 2012 with a flurry of new bills, a leadership transition and no shortage of drama involving members' personal troubles.

While tackling a projected budget deficit of roughly $12 billion over the next 18 months will be a top priority, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg predicted that members would take action on a long list of issues during the second year of the two-year session, including public employee pensions, the state's high-speed rail project and an $11 billion water bond slated for the November ballot.

The Sacramento Democrat said he felt the three-month recess, the first full break of its kind in years, had given members the energy and focus to "get off to a fast start."

For Senate Republicans, the new year means a new leader. The caucus met in the afternoon to elect Diamond Bar Republican Bob Huff as GOP leader, the successor to Sen. Bob Dutton, who is termed out and running for the Assembly this year.

Huff, of Diamond Bar, served as vice chair of the Senate Budget Committee last year. He pledged Wednesday to maintain the caucus's current leadership style and policies, and said "working to put people back to work" is the group's top priority.

The first day brought more than a dozen new bills and renewed pushes for proposals that stalled last year.

But the chambers, particularly in the Assembly, were also abuzz with news of personal issues faced by some members.

Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley, returned to the floor for the first time since she was arrested in October for allegedly shoplifting nearly $2,500 worth of high-end clothing from a San Francisco Neiman Marcus store. Hayashi, who has pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony grand theft and is awaiting a preliminary trial date, declined to speak to reporters.

Twin Peaks Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly was cited and released for trying to bring a loaded gun in his carry-on bag through airport security on his way to Sacramento on Wednesday morning.

The office of Sen. Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, meanwhile, announced she is unable to return to the Capitol because of infections related to a rare autoimmune disease from which she has suffered for years.

While she has been put back on a list for a lung transplant, 57-year-old Runner said in a statement that she was hopeful her health would soon improve as she continues to work from an undisclosed location.

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Call Torey Van Oot, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5544.

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