Legislature returns with a splash + What do voters care about? + Recall reform introduced
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
THE LEGISLATURE COMES BACK WITH SOME BIG NEWS
Monday was the much-anticipated return of the California Legislature, and that meant some major announcements.
Most notably, one of the labor movement’s most powerful voices in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, announced that she is stepping down to lead the California Labor Federation.
“Thank you for your support, and I respectfully resign from the Assembly effective close of business day on Wednesday,” Gonzalez said in remarks Monday afternoon.
Gonzalez earned a standing ovation from her colleagues after making her announcement.
Gonzalez said she was offered the position on Dec. 30. Her decision to resign from the Assembly means that not only will her seat be vacated, but she also leaves vacant her seat as chair of the powerful Assembly Appropriations Committee.
We didn’t have to wait long to see who would take Gonzalez’s place as committee chair: Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, announced on Twitter that Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, would take over the chair of that committee.
Rendon also announced that Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, would take over for Holden as chair of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee, while Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda, will take over for Garcia as chair of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
In other news to come out Monday, Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
“On Sunday, prior to returning to Sacramento for the new Legislative Session, I tested positive for COVID. Thankfully, I am asymptomatic and feel completely fine, but will follow the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health and remain home,” Wilk said in a statement. “I am fully vaccinated and ironically planned to get my booster this week. If you are considering vaccination, I urge you to take that precaution.”
That wasn’t the only COVID-19-related news to come out of the Capitol on Monday. Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, announced on Twitter that he would be staying home out of precaution after his two children tested positive for the virus recently.
POLL: WHAT MATTERS TO CALIFORNIA VOTERS
Left-leaning tech organization Chamber of Progress has released a new survey of California voters and their top priorities for state lawmakers.
The polling firm Finsbury Glover Hering conducted an online survey of 800 registered voters, representative of the state’s voter population, between Nov. 2 and Nov. 16 of last year.
The survey found a majority of voters who were very concerned with rising prices and inflation (62%), the economy (55%), affordability of health care (52%) and crime and public safety (52%).
The poll also noted that just 28% of voters surveyed were very concerned with the regulation of tech companies.
A plurality of voters (41%) said that their top tech concern was protecting consumers from scams and malware. Other tech-related concerns included combatting online misinformation (27%), protecting online free speech (24%) and passing consumer privacy protections (24%).
You can read the results for yourself by visiting here.
NEWMAN INTRODUCES RECALL REFORM
Via Lara Korte...
State Sen. Josh Newman on Monday kicked off the 2022 legislative session by introducing a constitutional amendment to change how California voters recall elected officials.
Recall reform had been on Democrats’ minds in the months leading up to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election. Newman himself was recalled from his state senate seat in 2018 before winning it back in 2020. The current recall process asks voters two questions: whether the official should be recalled, and if so, who should replace them. So long as more than 50% of voters choose yes on the first question, the candidate with the most votes on question two wins.
Instead of asking voters to decide on the recall and the replacement on the same ballot, Newman’s amendment would only include a yes or no vote on whether the official should be removed. Then, if recalled, the official would be replaced in one of three ways:
1) A recalled governor would be replaced by the lieutenant governor and finish out the remainder of the term. 2) Constitutional officers, such as secretary of state or treasurer, would be replaced through a gubernatorial appointment, subject to legislative confirmation. 3) State legislators would be replaced via a special election.
Newman said his amendment, SCA 6, would ensure that recalls are “democratic, fair and not subject to political manipulation.”
Changing the state constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of the Legislature and, if passed, would have to be approved by California voters.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The definition of a Karen: a woman with white privilege, an anti-vaxxer, and someone who has a ‘speak to the manager’ haircut. In 2022, Karen has become Marjorie–a petulant, big ego, flame thrower who gets banned from Twitter, suspended from Facebook, and promotes the Big Lie.”
- Rep. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, referring to her U.S. House colleague Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene via Twitter.
Best of the Bee:
A Democratic lawmaker wants to use part of the state’s projected $31 billion budget surplus to increase funding for schools and change how California pays for public education, via Lara Korte.
Union membership dropped slightly among California state workers in 2021, according to data from the State Controller’s Office, underscoring the ongoing challenge of recruiting new members during a pandemic, via Wes Venteicher.