A quick up-and-back for me yesterday for the swearing-in.
Shirley Horton was gracious enough to let me hitch a ride from the airport to the capitol. It’s hard to believe she is starting her last term in the assembly. Time flies. I guess the competitive AD 78 will now be heating up for ’08.
I caught up with our new SD legislators. "It’s been a long time coming," Joel Anderson told me, slightly taken aback that his college roommate was now putting him on the record for the FlashReport. "We’ve been working on this for two years — it’s great to be able to celebrate with family and friends."
Yadda, yadda. Okay, Joel, now say something that I don’t expect every other freshman up here to regurgitate. Like, what’s your first piece of legislation?
OK, that did it, then he gets the twinkle in his eye. Anderson wants to pursue adequate funding for San Diego’s traffic management system, which apparently doesn’t address traffic congestion on a 7-24 basis, unlike four other SoCal counties. I wouldn’t necessarily call that meat and potatoes legislation, but it may very well be to San Diegans used to being on the short end of the Sac equity stick. Joel did campaign on a theme of working for a fairer state funding distribution for San Diego.
I also ran into Martin Garrick. After good-naturedly busting my chops for endorsing one of his primary opponents, he gladly shared his plans. His first bill will would have a positive impact on every small business in California, by reducing the business fees owed to the state. "As a business owner that has run several businesses," said Martin, "that $800 a year which has accumulated into $24,000 in my case, is a disincentive for most people that want to start a business. I want the state to provide an incentive, not the opposite."
Also got in quick stop-bys and hellos with Kevin Jeffries (being visited by the outgoing Ray Haynes, now a fellow FR blogger), Bill Maze and his "former Jay La Suer-now Maze" capitol staff (a retiring Dennis Mountjoy was in the office, looking to rent his Sacto house, if anyone is interested), Dennis Hollingsworth, and Mark Wyland.
While in Wyland’s office, Dick Ackerman stopped in to hand-deliver a Senate Seal, mounted on a wood wall plaque with Mark’s name in brass. Talk about personal service from the leader.
The line of the day came from an also-visiting fellow FR blogger Mike Spence, watching the swearing-in with me and others from the confines of Anderson’s temporary office. As Karen Bass was making the nominating speech for about-to-be re-elected Speaker Fabian Nunez, talking about all that had been accomplished under his leadership, including a littany of fairly liberal pieces of legislation, Mike popped off with, "Don’t worry, she’ll be making the same speech at the Governor’s inaugural."
It caused quite a laugh, but…ouch. Mike said I could run with his quote, he wasn’t necessarily expecting to be invited to the inaugural anyway.