It would literally be impossible to write about all of the bad bills that have coursed through the state legislature this year. But it is wonderful to be able to highlight one particularly onerous bill that crashed and burned.
Kudos to Senator Anderson!
Assembly Bill 976, by liberal Democrat Assemblymember Toni Atkins, empowers the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to be prosecutor, judge and jury when imposing penalties and fines without due process to the accused. Current law protects due process by requiring the CCC to use an independent judicial process to enforce penalties and fines. You can read more about AB 976 here.
Enter one motivated and enterprising State Senator, Joel Anderson of San Diego County. Senator Anderson demonstrated the kind of moxie that we need to make standard on all bad bills – Anderson, in a clever move, proposed four amendments to the bill, really highlighting problems with the legislation.
Prior to Senator Anderson’s floor drill, AB 976 sailed along through committees; it made it off the Assembly Floor the first time. Then it went onto the Senate Floor where there was a shining moment for Republicans with Anderson’s amendments leaving Democrats second-guessing their votes.
The amendments would have required the California Coastal Commission to be held accountable to the Governor, the Legislature or more importantly to the people of California. This common-sense approach led some Members questioning the intentions and the repercussions of this bill. By the time it made it back to the Assembly, it was dead in the water.
The California Coastal Commission should protect and conserve our Coastline, but granting this bureaucratic agency authoritative power to collect fines is wrong on all accounts, because at its very basis it denies Californians “due process.”
These practical amendments drew attention to the bill’s flaws, offered a path to fix the problem and earn bi-partisan support, refocused the press attention on this troubling bill and in the end forced Democrats to pull away from the table.
To be relevant, Republicans have to be the watchdogs at the Capitol, when they see an opportunity, they need to pounce and put forth a new set of ideas.
As in the children’s book, “The Little Engine that Could,” Anderson gave hope and example to a super-minority that needs more examples of Republican leadership.