Progressives push legislature to use supermajority for big change
by Brian Leubitz
When the Legislature hit the magical 2/3 mark after the November 2012 election, a lot of progressives started dreaming big. Prop 30 just passed, and a statement had been made for a progressive vision of California. A majority of Californians had just voted to raise their taxes. Whether thanks to the strong field campaign around Prop 32 or through changing demographics of a presidential election, the Democrats gained big on the Legislative front.
But muddying these waters was a lot of mixed messaging. Gov. Brown had at least signaled that he thought Prop 30 was the only tax revenue measure that we should pass for a while, and some of the Democratic legislators had more or less said the same thing.
On the other side, the dreams were building for those who focused less on the immediate political future and more on the long term progressive vision. Progressive leaders were looking at Prop 13 reform, oil severance taxes, minimum wage increases and more. A lot of powder has been kept dry over the past few years with the constant budget fight, and with that superminority concern out of the way, some looked to really mount the pressure. And to be clear, they have mounted a lot of pressure. I’ve seen enough of these discussions between progressive leaders and legislators to know that the pressure on them is real.
“The supermajority is something that you have to use it or lose it,” said Rick Jacobs, head of the 750,000-member Courage Campaign, which has been at the liberal vanguard of several grassroots and online campaigns. “It is time to be bold. What is anybody afraid of?” (SF Chronicle)
To some extent, this is about two competing theories of politics. One says that you have a limited supply of “capital.” Under this model, you can only expect to do so much progress on the legislative front. Gov. Brown is pushing for a gradual and slow movement that prioritizes consensus and getting buy in from as many as possible. On the other hand, progressives tend to favor an idea of politics that promotes efficiency. You get into it what you put in kind of thing. Voters will respect action, even if they don’t get every component right away.
But for now, Speaker Perez and Sen. Steinberg seem to be of the same mind as the Governor. They’re taking it slow for the time being. Steinberg has said that he doesn’t plan on [touching Prop 13 this year, and Speaker Perez thinks this is just the beginning of a larger fight.
Even though Democrats could override Brown’s veto with their two-thirds majority, “a lot of Democrats from more conservative areas don’t want to vote to raise taxes because they know it would kill them in their districts,” said Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker John Pérez.
Plus, say Democratic leaders, it is still relatively early in the legislative calendar. Budget negotiations are just beginning.
“C’mon, it’s only the second inning. There’s a lot of time left in the session,” said Maviglio. “We’re moving forward on a lot of bills that are friendly to labor and progressives.
“I would tell some of the people who are saying these things to just relax,” Maviglio said.(SF Chronicle)
Now, perhaps that last sentence could be more eloquently phrased, but Mr. Maviglio speaks of building a long term progressive supermajority in the Legislature. It’s a laudable goal by any Democratic perspective, but getting everybody on the same page isn’t necessarily the easiest task, even within the same party.
Restoring full Denti-Cal benefits to those who get SSI, since I could use a new tooth after Denti-Cal only allowed for a tooth to be removed(an upper Molar that had been filled as a child), a root canal and filling would have worked and saved the tooth, but like a crown and post is considered cosmetic and is My only recourse now and I’m not allowed by Federal law to save up enough money for that as that would take an act of Congress to change(fat chance with most House Repubs(Teabaggers)), but since when is the ability to chew ones food cosmetic???
It sounds like DentiCal is something that should be restored
Hopefully, the Legislative leaders will get together with Gov. Brown to prioritize which programs can be restored and to what extent
It’s a pity, because there was a free dental services event in San Jose last week end… with Thousands of people !!
A stop gap, I know
But, wonderful for the people who were served
Google ‘free dental care San Jose’ or for the city you live in to see what’s available
I’m with Governor Brown, up to a point.
I remember well how nasty things got back in 1977 (Gove Brown’s first time around). The hysteria expressed in interviews on TV over what were then escalating property taxes. And I lived in Ohio at the time, and it made the news back there.
If you’re going to raise taxes, do it with care so it will stick. Act in haste, and you may end up losing the supermajority. Or, worse, end up with a Republican majority.
It might help if the legislature could start by getting rid of the need for a supermajority, which, I believe it can under Prop 13.
Any thoughts, anyone?
People keep ludicrously pretending that Democrats are the “good guys,” completely ignoring the fact that their careers are largely funded by the same people who completely own the Republicans. Anybody seen Mr Single Payer lately? It was the lovely Speaker Perez, not Republicans, who killed the DISCLOSE Act last year. Democrats will yet again proceed along the path of doing nothing for anyone until the idiot public votes Republicans back in out of sheer frustration. Hello? Recall? Hello?