The Other California Election: Defeat of Prop 93 Term Limits has Major Impact on Democratic Legislative Leaders, Budget, Seniors

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Warren Furutani Wins Special Assembly Election

By Marty D. Omoto
Director/Organizer
California Disability Community Action Network

Though national attention was focused on "Super Tuesday" and the presidential election, the political leadership of the State Capitol has been turned on its head, with California voters rejecting Proposition 93, a ballot initiative that would have changed the term limits state law by reducing the total number of years a person can serve in the Legislature from 14 to 12 years, but allow a person to serve that entire time in one house.

If Proposition 93 would have passed, it would have meant that 34 members of the Legislature who are termed out this year could have served anywhere from an additional 4 to 6 years, including Assembly Speaker Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Perata.

The proposition was backed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Democrat - Los Angeles), Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (Democrat - Oakland) and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and opposed by the state Republican Party and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.

Voters also rejected by larger margins two propositions impacting the funding for transportation and community colleges.

Impact of Defeat of Proposition 93 on California Legislature

The defeat means that Assembly Speaker Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem and Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, and 31 other legislators from both parties, will be forced out of the Legislature by November 30, 2008 - and a major change in the leadership of both houses coming that is likely to come much earlier than that.

In past years in the Assembly, that change usually has occurred in mid-spring, with a likely battle for the speakership between Assemblymember Kevin De Leon (Democrat - Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Karen Bass (Democrat - Los Angeles)

In the State Senate, Sen. Darrell Steinberg (Democrat - Sacramento) and Sen. Alex Padilla (Democrat - Los Angeles) are likely contenders to succeed Perata - though the State Senate in past years has made its leadership change later in the session.