Sen. Steinberg’s office released the new committee assignments for this year’s regular legislative session. In general, senators have fewer assignments. In many cases, that was welcome. However, that’s not likely to be the case for Sen. Lois Wolk. (As a side note, I did some work for Sen. Wolk’s 2008 campaign.)
When Steinberg released a list of slimmed-down committee memberships last week, Wolk retained the chairmanship of the Revenue and Taxation Committee and a spot on the Natural Resources and Water committee and picked up one assignment — a seat on the Food and Agriculture Committee.
But she was stripped of seats on Appropriations, Budget and Fiscal Review, Health, Transportation and Housing and Local Government. (SacBee)
As the Bee points out, it could be coincidence that Sen. Wolk spoke out against the water bill and her new, perhaps lesser committee assingments.
That being said, Sen. Wolk is, if anything, too much of a straight shooter. She opposed the water bill, for very legitimate reasons for a legislator of the Delta region, and said so. Of course, standing in front of a steamrolling tank doesn’t always get you in a place in the history books, sometimes it gets you a far lesser prize.
As I recall, the water deal really stank up the place.
Steinberg, who didn’t show spine when we needed him to on the budget, shows at least he can piss on people who do have one. He’s the kind of leader we grew to expect in Sacramento in the first decade of the millennium: A Hero For The Zeros, and a Zero Of A Hero.
heaven forfend a politician actually stand up for their constituents on the issues they ran on.
can’t believe i’m saying this, but steinberg’s turning out to be worse than perata.
…the freakin’ ‘Democrat’ Party to ‘change things…’ you will be waiting forever.
The only people who can actually change things for the better are…
…us.
Stockton Record agrees with the comments here. This is clearly a Steinberg payback. Such leadership does not make for progress… but that is status quo for Sacramento. Actually Steinberg is beginning to make Arnold look good.
This is exactly the reason that I am not a Democrat. Maybe being a Green is fighting for lost causes, but.. as Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) said…”Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for”.
I don’t fully agree with Wolk, but on the whole, she does provide a great alternative to Steinberg’s smash-mouth politics.