Or so
this article says in today's LA Times says...
More confident after weathering their first year with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Democrats who control California's Legislature return to the Capitol today, eager to reclaim the loyalties of centrist voters even at the risk of greater confrontation with the popular Republican governor.
With an estimated $8.1-billion budget gap, the fiscal challenges are as severe as in Schwarzenegger's first year. But easy solutions seem fewer, with last year's gigantic borrowing package difficult to replicate. That makes extensive disputes more likely between Republicans, who oppose new taxes, and Democrats bracing to stop Schwarzenegger from cutting health and social services programs.
So after all our angst over the weekend about the leaderless Dems in Sacto and the charisma of our Famous Movie Star governor, `our side' is going to take on The Man.
Schwarzenegger and Democrats found little common ground last year on a range of topics, including expanding medical insurance, raising the minimum wage, providing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and revising energy policy. All will be back on the table.
So will perennial issues on which Democrats have not yet coalesced around one solution, such as California's troubled prisons, pension and hospital costs, and emergency-room closures. And hot-button subjects such as legalizing gay marriage will also reemerge.
But at the same time, Democratic leaders have staked out an ambitious goal of focusing the Legislature on everyday issues that trouble California's middle class, such as housing, transportation, water policy and education. Part of the effort, they say, is to show swing portions of the electorate that Democrats are as concerned with them as with the poor and with ideologically charged debates.
"We want to be able to articulate where we're spending our time," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles). "Are we spending the majority of our time on gay marriage or driver's licenses? No.
"The majority of our time is going to be spent on transportation, education -- K through 12, but higher education in particular," Nuñez said. "The majority of our time is going to be spent on healthcare. The majority of our time is going to be spent on prescription drugs. The majority of our time is going to be spent on preserving clean air and clean water in California. Those are important issues to us."
Good news? Maybe...it looks like the Democratic leadership will be attacking core issues and defending core social programs. I am troubled by the quote "issues on which Democrats have not yet coalesced around one solution, such as California's troubled prisons, pension and hospital costs, and emergency-room closures." There is potential for losing coordination if democratic lawmakers start infighting. Also, I'd rather not see social programs for the poor and desperately needed reforms for the most troubled schools go down in favor of "middle-class" issues.
But the point is that we have a foot on the gas and a bit of initial traction. Let's call and support our assembly persons and state senators and keep them focused on the goal.
Thanks