[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Same Play as Last Year: No Respect for Laws Passed by the Majority and Supported by Californians—Only This Year, They’re Also Picking on Workers

By Frank D. Russo

Republican State Senators held a press conference last week and demanded that California delay implementation of AB 32—our landmark global warming law—and that other changes be made to our state’s overtime law, a progressive reform enacted decades ago. This is like a bad dream. And it could not come at a worse time than now, where there is a need to pass a budget on time or California will face irreparable harm to its creditworthiness and increased costs in borrowing.

Last year, the state budget was held up by this band of 15 because they wanted to deny California Attorney General Jerry Brown the funds to enforce California’s basic environmental law—signed by Ronald Reagan when he was governor—the California Environmental Quality Assurance law known as “CEQA.” They had egg on their face, came out on the short end of the stick and were blamed by California voters for their obstructionism. And they were thwarted.