What A Year It Was!

The Southwest California Legislative Council recently published their year-end report card summarizing our local legislators vote record on bills of importance to our member business community. This session the Council adopted positions on 98 state measures, down slightly from last year’s 104. As customary, the Council endeavors to be as supportive and bi-partisan as possible given the political reality that is Sacramento. The Council SUPPORTED 44 bills and OPPOSED 54. Of those 98, 33 made it all the way through the process to join nearly 1,000 other bills on the Governor’s desk. Of the 33, the Council SUPPORTED 14 and OPPOSED 19. The other measures either died along the tortuous route to passage or were amended beyond recognition and dropped from consideration. There were nearly 3,000 bills, constitutional amendments, resolutions and other issues that were considered by the legislature this year in total.
The SWCLC recognizes it is unrealistic to expect our legislators to vote in accord with the Council on every issue. Sometimes their vote reflects the fact that they have other constituencies with equally compelling but opposing arguments on an issue. However in 2018 both Senators Stone and Morrell voted in accord with the Council 100% and Assembly Members Melendez and Waldron 97%. Their votes are critical because, as President Calvin Coolidge was fond of reminding us, “Sometimes it is more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.” Lacking a Democratic super-majority in the Legislature this session, their votes were instrumental in keeping numerous bills from advancing. If you think some of the bills that did pass were bad, you should have seen some of the bills that didn’t!
Once again Governor Brown outdid himself signing more than 1,000 bills that will in some way impact our lives and our businesses. The Governor, signed 11 of the 14 bills supported by the SWCLC and vetoed 7 of our 19 opposed for a 55% vote in accord this year, up from 50% last year. In 2016 the Governor was with us 63%, 47% in 2015, 60% in 2014, 64% in 2013 and 62% in 2012. In his 16 years in office the Governor has been responsible for nearly 20,000 pieces of legislation being made into law. In a meeting with Realtors shortly after taking office in 2011, the Governor reflected on his predecessors habitual signing of 1,000 or more bills every year, asking (rhetorically it seems) if our lives were truly enriched by having 1,000 new laws every year. At the time we had hopes that he would not continue this process which he seemed to find ludicrous. In the end he not only continued the trend but expanded on it when possible.
With a newly elected Democratic super-majority again in place in both chambers of our legislature in Sacramento as well as a new Democratic Governor, 2019 will provide significant challenges and opportunities for our local business community and for our Chamber members. The Southwest California Legislative Council considers it a privilege to advocate on behalf of business interests in Southwest Riverside County. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Legislators and their local staffs for their support and cooperation in 2018. Thanks also to our sponsors, supporters and Chamber coalition partners.
The Southwest California Legislative Council will again be meeting every 3^rd Monday starting in January 2019,at the Realtor House, 26529 Jefferson in Murrieta. All Chamber members are welcome to attend.