Major Issues Fill the Table as Legislative Session Opens

The ongoing drama--or soap opera--that is Sacramento begins its new act Monday with the question: Can a lame-duck Republican governor and a Democrat-dominated state Legislature work in harmony to develop rational solutions to California’s daunting problems?

A formidable agenda awaits Gov. Pete Wilson and the Legislature as lawmakers assemble in the stately 19th-century Capitol for their 1997-98 session. Welfare reform, public education, crowded prisons and the state budget are likely to be the dominant issues and sources of conflict.

Events this week may give some indication of the prospects for compromise and resolution. Wilson on Tuesday will sketch out his program in his next-to-last State of the State address. Thursday he will unveil his new budget. The Democrats’ response will come from Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) and new Assembly Speaker Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno).

As was expected, there has been speculation that Wilson’s political clout may be weakened this year because of his lame-duck status (term limits bar him from seeking reelection). But he continues to hold the trump card over lawmakers with his veto power.

In the Legislature, the major question mark is Bustamante, a more centrist Democrat than Lockyer. Bustamante has said little about what his agenda will be and about how he plans to wield power in the 80-member lower house, which has lost all its veteran legislators through term limits. With a freshman class of 31, the Assembly will need strong leadership.

The greatest imperative in the new session is to develop a workable welfare reform program now that Washington has turned over major responsibility for welfare to the states. California needs to craft a plan that truly prepares the needy for the work force. The governor and Legislature should approve job training programs and resist any temptation to pass the problem down to the 58 counties, many of which already are teetering on the brink of fiscal disaster.

Wilson should be commended for his proposed expansion of the class size reduction program in public schools, but the state should ensure that the schools can find enough classroom space to handle the program.

Other items on the major-issue list: prison congestion that leads to early release of many convicts and state regulation of the gambling industry.

The California economy continues to recover from recession and tax revenues are increasing. Nevertheless, adequate funding of state programs remains a problem. Business tax cuts pushed by Wilson have eroded the tax base and now are reducing state revenues by about $2.5 billion a year.

This is the picture as the session begins. The voters have given California a divided government with sharp ideological differences between the parties. But voters also have demonstrated that they loathe deadlock, partisan gamesmanship and lack of action in the state Capitol. The public is calling for productivity in 1997. Is Sacramento listening?