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:
“I just don’t think we should come hurdling out of the gates talking about a bunch of new taxes.”
Republicans now hold little if any sway at the Capitol, but Assembly Speaker John Pérez is assuring GOP lawmakers that their voices are welcome:
“I know what it feels like to be excluded. The last thing I want to do as speaker is exclude anybody else.”
The legislature quickly recessed until the new year.
