Following what many Capitol pundits observe was a moderate conclusion to the 2013 legislative year, many are predicting more moderation in 2014.
“Big changes come right after the election, not before the next election,” political analyst Allen Hoffenblum is quoted in one media account.
Capitol journalists in the LA Times, San Jose Mercury and other publications concurred with Reuters’ Sharon Bernstein, who wrote, “California majority Democrats who charted a moderate path in the legislative session are likely to be even more cautious when they reconvene in January, fearing backlash from voters in upcoming elections.”
Moderate influences appear to have been an engaged and experienced governor, the inception of extended term limits (12 years in one house), top-two primary and the largest class of first-year legislators in decades.
The San Jose Mercury reporter noted, “After Democrats captured two-thirds majorities in both houses of the Legislature last November — the first time it had happened in 130 years — some Californians predicted that donkeys would run wild through the Capitol and push the state much further to the left.”
As we now know, not the case; in fact, the Chamber of Commerce was pleased with 2013 – winning on 37 of its 38 “jobkiller” bills.