Today’s the day. THE DAY? What, you don’t know which day today is? Well, it’s transition day, of course.  Speaker Bass is making way for Speaker Perez.

John Perez officially takes over today as assembly speaker, a position considered the second-most powerful job in California politics.

In a ceremony being compared to an inauguration, Perez will outline his priorities – jobs, jobs, jobs and perhaps a bit on education and, oh yeah, that multibillion-dollar budget problem. He is expected to be speaking to a full house, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Gov. Gray Davis and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – Perez’s cousin. (LA Daily News)

These are all important goals, but what role does a Speaker really have in today’s broken government?  Let’s face it, the past two years, the past 6 years, really, have been something of a disaster. The reckoning that we had feared came to pass. And given the 2/3 supermajority rules, we were unable to really fight back.  The best we could get was apparently the February deal, which we can all agree was something of a disaster.  See May 19.

And into this disaster walks John A. Perez.  While both are pretty staunch progressives, it’s hard not to notice the differences between he and Speaker Bass. He’s an operator of political levers in a way that Speaker Bass never mastered. Perhaps given more time, Bass would have gotten there, but Perez lives and breathes this stuff.

But is that helpful? It’s a defining question for the Assembly Democratic Caucus, but perhaps it should be reframed for general purposes.  Can Perez be the guy who brings in not only the day to day of operating the Assembly, but also brings forward a grand vision for California that the Legislature has been lacking.  It’s a big burden to put on anybody.

In California’s governmental climate, the role of Speaker must be as much of a media figure as a legislative figure. You must be able to legislate, of course.  But given that much of the legislative power now resides in the wishy-washy electorate, the Speaker must be able to go directly to the people.

And that’s the question that must be resolved. Perez can never do it on his own, but he must lead the Caucus and the Party into a drive for real communication with all Californians.

While John Perez allegedly has 29 votes for the speakership within the Democratic caucus, there has been no official vote of either the Democratic caucus or the Assembly as a whole.  That’s going to change this week:

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, is planning to hold a vote to elect her replacement on the Assembly floor this week. The two front-runners for the job – Assemblyman John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and Kevin DeLeon, D-Los Angeles — spoke for about 20 minutes this weekend, and were set to meet again today to discuss the race.

The vote would likely be a voice vote, and could come Wednesday or Thursday, as the house reconvenes to discuss education policy. (Capitol Weekly)

The two leading candidates had a conversation over the weekend, and Mayor Villaraigosa is trying to keep the peace amongst the warring LA factions over this race.  The troubling thing is that nobody really knows how this is going to play out.

Also of note, it looks like Jared Huffman of Marin is quite close to Perez, as the CW article relies on Huffman for the Perez perspective.  I don’t know if that means anything, but perhaps Huffman would have a more visible role in a Perez speakership.

You might have noticed that we’ve been talking about this whole Speaker’s race thing. First there were like 4 potential candidates, then two, Felipe Fuentes and Kevin De Leon, and then 3, with the addition of John A. Perez.  And then, Speaker Bass announced that she would be the 29th vote for a future Speaker Perez.

Yet things can never be that easy. This is California, and these are Democrats.

First there was the poll about Gil Cedillo challenging Perez for the assembly district. And then, over the last three days or so, there’s been a discussion of the number 41. Because for some reason, the fact that Speaker Bass is #29, that a consensus in the Caucus has been reached, that’s all now insufficient.  41 has been popping up in whispers around the Capitol, in random hints in quotes in newspapers and on the web.

41 is a powerful number. It’s the number that seperates Democrats from ceding power to the Republicans in the Assembly. It’s the number that allows progressives to maintain whatever semblance of power. It’s the number that keeps vows from being made to Republicans that Democrats will have to maintain.

It’s the number that represents the line that Democrats haven’t crossed.  Sure, it’s been flirted with, and Willie Brown crossed it in the 90s to take the Speakership from the Republicans.

There is only one way that the number 41 becomes relevant, if we let this become bigger than it should. If we let personal ambition and personal grievances become larger than what is best for the caucus. And more importantly, if we let what’s best for the state take a back seat.

Democrats are the Assembly Majority. The Assembly Majority Caucus chooses the Speaker.  The same as it ever was, the same as it should be. The Member who has the majority of the Majority becomes the Speaker. Forget 41. 26 is the number that matters.

Since Willie Brown was termed out, the Assembly Speakership has been pretty much an LA thing.  The LA members, and some other muckety-mucks, particularly now the former speaker and current mayor, get together to decide who will be the next speaker. While it might not actually be that simple and quick, it is the gist of it.  So, people knew it was pretty much over when Speaker Karen Bass said this:

“I really very deeply believe that John will be a speaker that reflects the strong Democratic values that brought all of us here,” Bass said. “The momentum is such that it’s time for a resolution.” (SacBee)

Of course, the other big competitor, Kevin De Leon, still hasn’t conceded anything as he attempts to get 26 votes within the caucus despite Bass’s remark that she was Perez’s “29th vote.”  

During such a contentious process, there are always going to be some hard feelings.  It’s hard to imagine it any other way, such is the system that term limits has given us. Willie Brown’s days as Ayatollah of the Assembly are over, and the consistency that Willie provided with his iron grip of the office are also gone. And pretty much everytime, there’s a story like this:

Hurt feelings and allegations of treachery are de rigeur when it comes to the politics of the speakership. But the story of Assemblyman John Perez’s rise as a candidate for speaker reveals the little talked about Machiavellian side of Karen Bass, a speaker who is often cited for her calm personal demeanor and affable political style.

Bass, D-Los Angeles, came out publicly in support of Perez’s speakership bid Wednesday, telling the press about her decision before the caucus had formally chosen a new leader. But Bass’s press conference has angered some Assembly Democrats, who complained that they had the idea of a Perez speakership forced upon them with no time to coalesce as a group. (CapWeekly)

In the end, everybody will move past this, and this will be just one more little private score in a town full of scores to settle.  One can only hope that the bitterness doesn’t extend to policy and that the caucus can move forward with the business of the state. I am sure this will happen in due time, but with a pending budget battle, moping time is a luxury we may not have.

“To the former Speakers who joined me today as my escorts – you honor us with your presence the way your service honored this house and this state. Thank you for taking the time to be here today. Since I have been in the legislature I have sought each of you for your guidance, critique and solidarity. And I thank you for that – and assume you’ll be available for many more phone calls.

Members….honored guests…dear friends and family….since my election on February 28th to be the 67th Speaker of the Assembly, I have had the opportunity and experience to be part of an incredible transition –  part of a complex and comprehensive process of receiving the torch from the 66th Speaker of the Assembly, Fabian Núñez.

I know the job ahead of me as Speaker will be both easier and harder because of the example set by Speaker Núñez.

Easier because of the outstanding processes he has put in place for this house. Harder because of the high threshold he has set for results.

Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for your leadership, your friendship, and, especially, for the enormous generosity of spirit you have shown me during this seamless transition.

Members, as Mr. Speaker mentioned, I do feel the weight of history on my shoulders today – as the first African American woman in U.S. history elected to head a state legislative body.

Consistent with the African side of African-American tradition, I begin today by acknowledging and honoring those people who have shaped my life but are no longer here to share my life.

My mother who taught all of us that the most important words in our vocabulary must be dignity, integrity and honor.

My last image of her was watching her walking down the hospital corridor – she held her head high – yet I knew she knew her life was about to end.

My father who never wanted me to run for office – because he was afraid I’d be hurt.

But yet he was the one who introduced me to politics, watching the civil rights movement on the nightly news and trying to help me understand the concept of legal segregation in the South where he was from–he instilled in me the passion to fight for justice and equality.

They are not here, but their presence is constantly felt and is represented today by my three brothers – Kenneth, Keith and Kevin Bass.

Will my brothers please stand.

My beloved daughter and son-in-law – who I miss every single day.

I look out on the floor – I sat where Assemblymember Eng sits and the memory is seared in my mind – of my daughter Emilia, who sat next to me during my first swearing in and giggled at the formality.

Her then boyfriend – Mike – who would soon become my son-in law, sat in the gallery with eyes as big as saucers at the enormity of it all.

Emilia and Mike are not here, but their presence is constantly felt and she is represented today by her siblings – my step children – who have been in my life since the day you were born—Scythia, Omar and Yvette Lechuga – please stand.

And Emilia’s best friends – my other daughters – who are very much a part of my life – Denise-Julia, Rolanda, Sterling, Ebony and Tiffany – will you please stand.

Members, throughout the past 18 months I have experienced the best of your hearts – and I’m not sure I can fully express how much that has meant to me.

So many of us have faced personal tragedies and losses – we have stood with each other – we have embraced each other – and helped each other though the bad times.

And we’ve embraced each other through new children – Lori Krekorian – and grandchildren – life’s blessings as well.

If we could only harness the power of our common humanity, I don’t think there’s anything we couldn’t do for the people of this state.

And members, they truly do need us now.

People are losing their homes. People are losing their jobs. People are scared about the future in a state that should be all about hope for the future.

Think about it. We represent California – the 8th largest economy on the planet. If California was our own nation, we would be better off than Russia or India or Spain.

We have it all.

The movie studios I represent in the 47th Assembly District use software created in Ms. Lieber’s district.

Professors at Ms. Wolk’s UC Davis help Mr. Berryhill’s farmers improve their crops.

And who wouldn’t enjoy a glass of Ms. Evans Napa Valley chardonnay watching the sun set over Mr. Plescia’s La Jolla coast?

More than 50,000 companies in our districts export products around the globe.

20% of all U.S. trade – about a half a trillion dollars – passes in some way through California. Workers at our ports handle more than 40% of the nation’s container cargo.

Almost one-third of all U.S. biotech firms are located in California, and we have more biotech jobs here than all the other states put together.

And it’s no coincidence the biotech industry was founded here when more than 50 Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the University of California.

We are a $94 billion tourism industry and the nation’s top travel destination. Millions of visitors come here every year to enjoy 1100 miles of coast and 300-foot redwood trees.

The laptops on our desk should remind all of us that the California visionaries who founded Silicon Valley in a garage, have changed the way the world lives, learns and leads.

Thanks to California you can find anything you could possibly want on Google…and then when you get tired of it you can turn around and sell it on E-bay.

Our 80,000 farms and ranches produce more than $30 billion worth of goods.  And we export more than $10 billion of those goods – 350 commodities in all – everything from almonds and artichokes to turkeys and tangerines.

Among us we represent Koreatown, Little Saigon, Little Ethiopia, Little India and Little Armenia- little pieces of a lot of places.

California is a giant of a state – but we are a giant in crisis.

Over the last two months I have visited with business leaders in the Silicon Valley who are relocating overseas….I’ve met with farmers in the Central Valley who can not afford to plant crops-resulting in the abandonment of the workforce in nearby small towns. I have visited schools and met with teachers and school board members in San Diego and Norwalk where teachers received layoff notices.

I have met with students who are saddled with debt when they finish college – we should be able to provide more opportunity than that for the next generation.

California is a giant in crisis – and now it is up to us to solve that crisis.

It is up to us to take the fear out of California’s future.

Tomorrow, the governor will unveil his May budget revision.

By all accounts it will not be good news. We have to decide how we will address that news. We have to decide how we will come together to mobilize the incredible assets and resources at this state’s command to solve the budget crisis.

If we can mobilize our resources to respond to major disasters like Northridge and Whittier and Loma Prieta – we must be able to respond to the budget crisis.

The wildfires in Sierra Madre in April reminded us all too well of the infernos we faced in 2007.

The combination of economic recession, the mortgage meltdown and skyrocketing prices for food and fuel are having the same destructive force as an earthquake or fire.

When you lose your home, can’t feed your family, or can’t afford health care for your kids, it’s an earthquake.

When there is a disaster like that, an earthquake or a fire or a flood, leaders put their ideologies aside and step up and say “people are suffering – what do we do to alleviate the pain?”

Members, we have to respond to the current economic crisis the same way we would a natural disaster.

We have to toss aside the boxes we put ourselves in and the labels we place on others and come together to get the job done.

I believe part of that job has got to involve looking at the big picture and really examining California’s overall economic structure.

Most importantly, we have to ask the question of whether a tax structure that was established in the 1930s is sufficient to meet the needs of Californians in 2008.

And, frankly, members I think we need an answer to that question that is developed outside the day-to-day give-and-take here in the legislature.

To answer this question I have asked for help. I have asked 2 former Governor’s – Governor Pete Wilson and Governor Grey Davis to assist the legislature in identifying the leadership and membership of an independent Commission to examine California’s tax structure.

This will be a bipartisan group of California’s brightest to work together for one year to develop recommendations on how we can identify more consistent sources of revenue – the way 12 other States have already accomplished.

As we work to resolve the immediate challenge before us, the efforts of this commission can help us find ways to prevent California from cycling through crisis after crisis after crisis.

Mr. Villines, I am just as committed to working with you and your team. I want to continue and maintain the high level of civility that has been a hallmark of Speaker Núñez tenure.

I want to urgency of our cause to be marched by the unity in our commitment.

The weight of history is not just on my shoulders.

As we all move forward, it should be with the understanding that a society will be judged on the way it cares for its people.

As Speaker, I want you to judge me on how I am able to bring together the best of your talents, your experience, and, yes – the best of your hearts – to help build the kind of society that California deserves.

Thank you members. Let’s get to work.”

Karen Bass is making history as we speak.  She is currently being sworn in as the first Democratic female speaker in California history. Furthemore, she is the first African-American female to be Speaker in any of the 50 states and the federal government.

Good Luck Speaker Bass. And if you are really prepared to take on reforming our tax structure, we’ll be in good hands for the next two years.

With so much worth protecting and so much that threatens our economic well-being, it is far past time to move beyond simply patching over budget problems to finding a real, creative — and bipartisan — way off the budget roller coaster we seem to be stuck on year after year after year.(LAT 5/13/08)

UPDATE: Check the flip for Speaker Bass’ speech.

“To the former Speakers who joined me today as my escorts – you honor us with your presence the way your service honored this house and this state. Thank you for taking the time to be here today. Since I have been in the legislature I have sought each of you for your guidance, critique and solidarity. And I thank you for that – and assume you’ll be available for many more phone calls.

Members….honored guests…dear friends and family….since my election on February 28th to be the 67th Speaker of the Assembly, I have had the opportunity and experience to be part of an incredible transition –  part of a complex and comprehensive process of receiving the torch from the 66th Speaker of the Assembly, Fabian Núñez.

I know the job ahead of me as Speaker will be both easier and harder because of the example set by Speaker Núñez.

Easier because of the outstanding processes he has put in place for this house. Harder because of the high threshold he has set for results.

Mr. Speaker, thank you so much for your leadership, your friendship, and, especially, for the enormous generosity of spirit you have shown me during this seamless transition.

Members, as Mr. Speaker mentioned, I do feel the weight of history on my shoulders today – as the first African American woman in U.S. history elected to head a state legislative body.

Consistent with the African side of African-American tradition, I begin today by acknowledging and honoring those people who have shaped my life but are no longer here to share my life.

My mother who taught all of us that the most important words in our vocabulary must be dignity, integrity and honor.

My last image of her was watching her walking down the hospital corridor – she held her head high – yet I knew she knew her life was about to end.

My father who never wanted me to run for office – because he was afraid I’d be hurt.

But yet he was the one who introduced me to politics, watching the civil rights movement on the nightly news and trying to help me understand the concept of legal segregation in the South where he was from–he instilled in me the passion to fight for justice and equality.

They are not here, but their presence is constantly felt and is represented today by my three brothers – Kenneth, Keith and Kevin Bass.

Will my brothers please stand.

My beloved daughter and son-in-law – who I miss every single day.

I look out on the floor – I sat where Assemblymember Eng sits and the memory is seared in my mind – of my daughter Emilia, who sat next to me during my first swearing in and giggled at the formality.

Her then boyfriend – Mike – who would soon become my son-in law, sat in the gallery with eyes as big as saucers at the enormity of it all.

Emilia and Mike are not here, but their presence is constantly felt and she is represented today by her siblings – my step children – who have been in my life since the day you were born—Scythia, Omar and Yvette Lechuga – please stand.

And Emilia’s best friends – my other daughters – who are very much a part of my life – Denise-Julia, Rolanda, Sterling, Ebony and Tiffany – will you please stand.

Members, throughout the past 18 months I have experienced the best of your hearts – and I’m not sure I can fully express how much that has meant to me.

So many of us have faced personal tragedies and losses – we have stood with each other – we have embraced each other – and helped each other though the bad times.

And we’ve embraced each other through new children – Lori Krekorian – and grandchildren – life’s blessings as well.

If we could only harness the power of our common humanity, I don’t think there’s anything we couldn’t do for the people of this state.

And members, they truly do need us now.

People are losing their homes. People are losing their jobs. People are scared about the future in a state that should be all about hope for the future.

Think about it. We represent California – the 8th largest economy on the planet. If California was our own nation, we would be better off than Russia or India or Spain.

We have it all.

The movie studios I represent in the 47th Assembly District use software created in Ms. Lieber’s district.

Professors at Ms. Wolk’s UC Davis help Mr. Berryhill’s farmers improve their crops.

And who wouldn’t enjoy a glass of Ms. Evans Napa Valley chardonnay watching the sun set over Mr. Plescia’s La Jolla coast?

More than 50,000 companies in our districts export products around the globe.

20% of all U.S. trade – about a half a trillion dollars – passes in some way through California. Workers at our ports handle more than 40% of the nation’s container cargo.

Almost one-third of all U.S. biotech firms are located in California, and we have more biotech jobs here than all the other states put together.

And it’s no coincidence the biotech industry was founded here when more than 50 Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the University of California.

We are a $94 billion tourism industry and the nation’s top travel destination. Millions of visitors come here every year to enjoy 1100 miles of coast and 300-foot redwood trees.

The laptops on our desk should remind all of us that the California visionaries who founded Silicon Valley in a garage, have changed the way the world lives, learns and leads.

Thanks to California you can find anything you could possibly want on Google…and then when you get tired of it you can turn around and sell it on E-bay.

Our 80,000 farms and ranches produce more than $30 billion worth of goods.  And we export more than $10 billion of those goods – 350 commodities in all – everything from almonds and artichokes to turkeys and tangerines.

Among us we represent Koreatown, Little Saigon, Little Ethiopia, Little India and Little Armenia- little pieces of a lot of places.

California is a giant of a state – but we are a giant in crisis.

Over the last two months I have visited with business leaders in the Silicon Valley who are relocating overseas….I’ve met with farmers in the Central Valley who can not afford to plant crops-resulting in the abandonment of the workforce in nearby small towns. I have visited schools and met with teachers and school board members in San Diego and Norwalk where teachers received layoff notices.

I have met with students who are saddled with debt when they finish college – we should be able to provide more opportunity than that for the next generation.

California is a giant in crisis – and now it is up to us to solve that crisis.

It is up to us to take the fear out of California’s future.

Tomorrow, the governor will unveil his May budget revision.

By all accounts it will not be good news. We have to decide how we will address that news. We have to decide how we will come together to mobilize the incredible assets and resources at this state’s command to solve the budget crisis.

If we can mobilize our resources to respond to major disasters like Northridge and Whittier and Loma Prieta – we must be able to respond to the budget crisis.

The wildfires in Sierra Madre in April reminded us all too well of the infernos we faced in 2007.

The combination of economic recession, the mortgage meltdown and skyrocketing prices for food and fuel are having the same destructive force as an earthquake or fire.

When you lose your home, can’t feed your family, or can’t afford health care for your kids, it’s an earthquake.

When there is a disaster like that, an earthquake or a fire or a flood, leaders put their ideologies aside and step up and say “people are suffering – what do we do to alleviate the pain?”

Members, we have to respond to the current economic crisis the same way we would a natural disaster.

We have to toss aside the boxes we put ourselves in and the labels we place on others and come together to get the job done.

I believe part of that job has got to involve looking at the big picture and really examining California’s overall economic structure.

Most importantly, we have to ask the question of whether a tax structure that was established in the 1930s is sufficient to meet the needs of Californians in 2008.

And, frankly, members I think we need an answer to that question that is developed outside the day-to-day give-and-take here in the legislature.

To answer this question I have asked for help. I have asked 2 former Governor’s – Governor Pete Wilson and Governor Grey Davis to assist the legislature in identifying the leadership and membership of an independent Commission to examine California’s tax structure.

This will be a bipartisan group of California’s brightest to work together for one year to develop recommendations on how we can identify more consistent sources of revenue – the way 12 other States have already accomplished.

As we work to resolve the immediate challenge before us, the efforts of this commission can help us find ways to prevent California from cycling through crisis after crisis after crisis.

Mr. Villines, I am just as committed to working with you and your team. I want to continue and maintain the high level of civility that has been a hallmark of Speaker Núñez tenure.

I want to urgency of our cause to be marched by the unity in our commitment.

The weight of history is not just on my shoulders.

As we all move forward, it should be with the understanding that a society will be judged on the way it cares for its people.

As Speaker, I want you to judge me on how I am able to bring together the best of your talents, your experience, and, yes – the best of your hearts – to help build the kind of society that California deserves.

Thank you members. Let’s get to work.”

There are a lot of interesting things going on that should be mentioned, but that I couldn’t quite generate whole posts out of – so here they are for your Friday reading pleasure.

• Karen Bass will become the Speaker on May 15, meaning she will play a central role in the upcoming budget negotiations this summer. I’m guessing she won’t be as frequent a guest in Arnold’s smoking tent as was her predecessor.
• Civil Rights groups have come out swinging against the redistricting reform plan – MALDEF, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, and the William C. Velazquez Institute held a news conference to explain their belief that redistricting reform will produce many fewer elected officials of color and weaken the voting rights of those communities. It’s especially ironic that these criticisms are made against the backdrop of Fabian Núñez getting ready to hand off power to Karen Bass – redistricting reform is low enough on the state’s list of priorities, and if it is going to reduce the representation of California’s communities of color, it needs to not be passed.
• The Department of Managed Care is going to reexamine thousands of “rescissions” of health insurance made by insurers AFTER the patients got sick. When 90 of these rescissions done by Blue Cross were sampled by the agency, all 90 were found to be flawed. While this process holds out some hope of recovery of costs and insurance by those victimized by this practice, it also simply reinforces the point that health insurers have no place in the delivery of health care in our state and in our country.
• Neither Ronald Reagan nor his Vice-President George H.W. Bush wore a flag lapel pin. Noted America-hater Abraham Lincoln never wore one either and one does not appear on that paragon of sedition George Washington.

  So if you think ABC was out of line in making flag pins an issue at Wednesday’s debate, our own David Dayen is organizing a protest at ABC in Burbank, alongside the Courage Campaign (note: I work for the Courage Campaign) this afternoon at 4pm. Wish I were there with you all!

Feel free to add any of your own stories or insights in the comments.