I don't know how I got on this uber-leftist email list, but it serves as a great "do-the-opposite" guide to state issues and they send out really timely updates.  Also reminds all of us to be careful who you hand your business card out to.

That said, today's update had a little blurb about the possiblility of our own Southwest Riverside County State Senator, Dennis Hollingsworth, being named the new Senate Republican Leader.

Hollingsworth is a movement conservative and his staff is top notch.  Good luck Dennis.

CDCAN DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
California Disability Community Action Network
Advocacy Without Borders: 
News Impacting People With Disabilities, Mental Health Needs, Seniors & Others
Goes out to over 45,000 people, organizations, policy makers across California
Marty Omoto -  martyomoto@rcip.com   website:   www.cdcan.us
Report #025-2008  -  February 7, 2008 - Thursday
 
SACRAMENTO  (CDCAN)  - A change is also coming to the Senate Republican Leader position, currently held by Dick Ackerman (Republican - Tustin) who will also be termed out at the end of the 2008 legislative session.  

Possible successors include Dave Cogdill, George Runner and Dennis Hollingsworth. 

Cogdill and Hollingsworth are members of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, with Hollingsworth currently serving as vice chair.  All three are strong fiscal conservatives. 

The change in the Senate Republican leadership could come much sooner, with Ackerman barely surviving a challenge to his leadership in 2006. At that time, some Senate Republicans were critical of Ackerman  saying he was too willing to compromise and give in to the Senate Democrats and Governor.  The result, many Capitol observers believe, was the Senate Republican refusal to give their needed votes to pass the State budget, resulting in a 52 day stand-off, led by Ackerman last year. 

While the 3 Senate Republicans mentioned as possible successors are as conservative as Ackerman, the change in leadership will have major impact on the overall Republican strategy and tactics in dealing with the State budget and policy issues. 

Change in Legislative Leaders Caused by Term Limit Law

The change in the top leaders in both houses is caused by term limits, with both Senate leader Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Democrat - Los Angeles) termed out this year. 

Proposition 93, rejected by voters on Tuesday, would have changed the state's term limits law by reducing the total number of years a person can serve in the Legislature from 14 to 12 years, but allow a person to serve all of that time in one house.

The current term limit law allows a person to serve 3 2-year terms in the Assembly and 2 4-year terms in the State Senate for a total of 14 years. 

If Proposition 93 would have passed, it would have meant that 34 members of the Legislature who are termed out this year could have served anywhere from an additional 4 to 6 years, including Nunez, Perata and Ackerman. 

The proposition was backed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Democrat - Los Angeles), Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (Democrat - Oakland) and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and opposed by the state Republican Party and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner

It is possible another attempt could be made in time before the 2010 statewide elections to change the term limits law.

Even without a change in the current term limits law, Perata in theory could run later for the Assembly, where he was first elected in 1996, serving one two year term before running for the State Senate in a special election in 1998.  Nunez is eligible to run and serve in the State Senate for up to two 4 year terms (8 years) should a seat open up. 

Latest Results - Proposition 93: Limits on Legislators' Terms in Office

With 100% (23,109 of 23,109 ) precincts reporting as of February 7, 2008, at 11:20 AM (red indicates if the proposition lost or won):

Yes: 3,166,784  (46.4%)

NO: 3,652,695  (53.6%)  DEFEATED