As tension continues to build in Sacramento before a voice vote on Wednesday or Thursday to elect the next Speaker of the California Assembly – the three other members of the LGBT Caucus formally endorsed their openly gay colleague, John A. Perez.
State Sen. Mark Leno told LGBT POV late Monday:
“John’s speakership would be historic and a great step forward for equal access to the reins of power. He is perfectly qualified with the experience, intelligence and temperament needed to lead the Assembly during these very challenging times. I wish him great success.”
State Sen. Chris Keho said:
“John would be a wonderful speaker.”
And Assemblymember Tom Ammiano told me by phone:
“It is an honor to be with John at such a significant moment in our movement’s history.”
Ammiano was initially aligned with Kevin De Leon when the race for speaker included Felipe Fuentes, Fiona Ma and Anthony Portantino, whose gay brother Michael owns the 20-year old Gay and Lesbian Times in San Diego. All three candidates dropped out and now support Perez.
Much has been made in the media and by some politicos about how Perez’s decision to run for the speakership was a “surprise.”
It shouldn’t have been. Those of us who have watched the long trajectory of Perez’s rise to political power through hard work behind the scenes as political director for a Southern California local of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in labor and Democratic circles as a member of the Democratic National Committee and Stonewall Democratic Club whispered about that possibility as soon as he was elected to represent the 46th Assembly District last year and was immediately appointed chair of the Democratic Caucus as part of new Speaker Karen Bass’ leadership team.
But when Gil Cedillo was forced to give up his senate seat through term limits, Perez decided to go that route instead. The decision to run for the speakership was made only after a concerted effort by his Assembly colleagues to draft him for the job.
“People have been trying to draft him for the last year, said Ma of Perez. “He has a very diverse group of folks supporting him.”
[snip]
The Draft Perez movement grew out of dissatisfaction over the current crop of speakership candidates, and a desire to have a speaker that could serve for five years, Capitol sources said. De Leon rankled some Democrats, in part because was viewed as too close to former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Bass’ predecessor. He later stepped out from Nunez’s shadow and became a top lieutenant to Bass, but made little secret of his desire for the speakership. De Leon courted members’ support for the job and actively sought to form a power base.”
Consider that phrase: “De Leon rankled some Democrats.” Two knowledgeable sources independently told me that Perez was one of those “rankled” by De Leon’s blatant and “arrogant” campaign to not only win the speakership but to push Bass out as soon as possible, despite Bass having named De Leon to the powerful Appropriations Committee. That was a contributing factor for Perez, a Bass loyalist, sources said, when he struggled with the decision over whether to run.
Bass subsequently endorsed Perez and announced that he has the 41 votes needed to win. Since the Democrats control the Assembly with 49 members to 30 Republicans (there is one independent), the winner of the Democratic Caucus vote is expected to win a floor vote as well.
One source agreed with Bass that Perez has the necessary votes; the other, however, cautioned that the race is still too close to be declared over.
Much has also been made of how this fight has “cleaved” the Latino Caucus into “warring factions worthy of Hatfield and McCoy,” as the Los Angeles Times reported it on Monday.
Frankly, that might be a bit dramatic – it is hardly the knock-down, drag out, back-stabbing pre-term limits fights between the backers of LA City Councilmember Richard Alatorre, state legislative power-broker Richard Polanco and LA County Supervisor Gloria Molina. When the three of them were in the room at the same time – such as at a major event thrown by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project - the tension was so great, even an outside political observer like me held my breath.
That’s not what is happening here. This is a new generation of Latino power players – though old fashioned, behind the scenes shenanigans may still be at work. Monday Equality California issued a press release asking its members to call their Assembly representatives to vote for Perez. But then Executive Director Geoff Kors added this brief note:
“Although the selection of a speaker is usually an internal matter, this year the race has become public in a way never seen before. Historically, once more than half of the Assembly members from the majority party, in this case the Democrats, announce their support for a candidate, the entire caucus typically coalesces behind that candidate and the vote for Speaker is held. Not this time.
We hope that this isn’t about sexual orientation, but it is always a concern when the rules seem to be applied differently to a member of our community.”
My sources tell me that this is NOT whispers from Republicans, who are apparently staying out of the Democrat’s debate over their leadership. Rather, they said, members of De Leon’s team – with or without his permission is unclear – are spreading rumors that the Republicans would “never” work with Perez as Speaker of the Assembly because he’s gay. In fact, my sources note, Perez is liked and respected by GOP Assemblymembers because he reaches across the aisle and actually listens to the other side’s concerns.
Additionally, there are questions about who talked to The Times about a supposedly private meeting Villaraigosa held at his home with only Perez, De Leon, and Nuñez in attendance.
“Nuñez declined to discuss what happened, and the other three men did not return calls from The Times. But other Capitol officials said an agreement was struck that day over a shared bottle of wine.”
My sources would only say they were aware that a meeting took place but that were suspicious of any supposed etched in stone “deal.”
Nuñez, who co-sponsored the marriage equality bill with Leno, told the LA Times:
“This has not been fun to watch. You keep these matters private.. . . Not because you’re being secretive. This is your dirty laundry.”
Another interesting note – termed out Gil Cedillo who has mounted a June primary challenge to Perez for his Assembly seat told The Times:
“I’ve never lost. I don’t plan to lose now.”
The Times apparently did not ask him about the special election race against Judy Chu last May to replace Hilda Solis in Congress where, as Politico described it,
“Chu comfortably outdistanced Democratic state senator Gil Cedillo by over 4,000 votes, 32 to 23 percent.”
That was the race in which the important progressive political blog Calitics said they were
“extremely disappointed in Gil Cedillo’s divisive and often false attacks on his rivals…[and] Cedillo’s blatantly false mailers against Judy Chu during the race…”
For LGBT people, this race is not just about possibly electing California’s first openly gay Speaker of the Assembly. It’s also who’s making what decisions about the next round of painful cuts to the state budget as California faces a $21.7 billion deficit and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program is on the chopping block. The question, finally, is who will be the best leader in this time of crisis?
Subscribe to RSS
no comment until now