legislature

New Lawmakers Sworn in, Giving Democrats Full Control

Ben Adler — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:18:13 +0000

California’s newly-elected legislature is now officially sworn in, and Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers. But as Ben Adler reports from Sacramento, legislative leaders are making a point of being modest.

The entire Assembly and half the Senate took their oaths on Monday, giving Democrats the power they’ve long craved – the ability to raise taxes. But voters just did that for them, approving Prop 30 last month, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg says that’s enough for now:

Speaker Pérez Wary of Overplaying Democratic Supermajorities

Joe Moore — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:40:01 +0000

California Democrats have gained a supermajority in both state legislative houses for the first time in 70 years. But as KPCC’s Julie Small reports, the Assembly Speaker says his party won’t exploit the power.

The two-thirds majority in the Assembly and Senate gives Democrats the power to raise taxes without Republican votes. They’ll also be able to expedite bills and change legislative rules. But Assembly Speaker John Perez downplays that new power.

Governor Brown Shares Priorities for Working with New Legislature

Pauline Bartolone — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 01:54:40 +0000

Governor Jerry Brown shared a list of priorities for working with a new state legislature, which appears to be reaching a two-thirds majority in both houses.

Now that his Prop 30 campaign is over, Governor Brown says he’s turning his attention to other matters.

“We ought to calibrate our regulations to ensure that they encourage jobs as well as protect other aspects of the public interest like the environment, health and good working conditions,” said Brown.