Six months after the decision was made, Darrell Steinberg – a former labor lawyer and unabashed liberal – was formally elected Senate president pro tem Thursday in a unanimous voice vote by his colleagues.
But in the longest legislative transition in modern California history, the Sacramento Democrat won't assume office until Nov. 30 – one day before current Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, is termed out of office.
Steinberg, who will become the first lawmaker from Sacramento to run the Senate since 1883, said he was "not uncomfortable" with the protracted baton exchange.
"This is the way the caucus and Sen. Perata and I wanted to handle this, and I'm very comfortable with it," Steinberg, 48, said in an interview before the Senate vote.
Steinberg and Sen. Alex Padilla, a Los Angeles Democrat who was the other candidate for the post, agreed to the transition schedule established by Perata before Steinberg received enough pledges from the Democrats who control the Senate to win the nomination on Feb. 7.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, didn't secure the votes to succeed Fabian Núñez until Feb. 27, yet she assumed office May 7.
"The situations are completely different," Steinberg said, referring to term limits. "Karen has two years after this. I have six years of eligibility."
In the six months since Steinberg was designated Perata's successor, the FBI has reportedly stepped up its four-year investigation into Perata's business dealings and those of his family and close associates.
Meanwhile, the budget impasse in which Perata is a principal negotiator is now in its 53rd day, with no end in sight.
The long transition has allowed Steinberg to avoid the budget quagmire and spend more time on his own legislation, including Senate Bill 375, which environmentalists have called the state's most significant land-use bill since passage of the California Coastal Act in 1976.
Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento, said Steinberg is taking the reins of the Senate "under arguably the most difficult circumstances of anybody in the modern era."
Steinberg said he is not "directly involved" in budget negotiations.
"I believe (Perata) has staked out the right position because any other position would, by definition, result in my beginning my leadership with a $10 billion – give or take – deficit," Steinberg said.
Call Aurelio Rojas, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5545.
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