Retired California State Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte Backs Democratic-Authored Proposition 93
Posted by: SB Insider | 12/06/2007 11:15 AM
Appropriately first reported on the California Democratic Party insiders' weblog California Majority Report, former State Senator James L. Brulte of the Inland Empire has endorsed Proposition 93, the Democratic-authored measure that would eviscerate California's popular voter-approved term limits law for state legislators. Proposition 93 would allow current (and former) state legislators to serve several additional years in the state legislature.
Proposition 93 will be on California's statewide ballot in February 2008.
Jim Brulte served in the State Assembly from 1990-1996, where he served as Minority Leader of that body from 1992-95. After his service in the Lower House, Brulte was elected to the State Senate in 1996, where he would serve until 2004. In 2000, Brulte's Republican colleagues elected him Senate Minority Leader.
Republican Jim Brulte's public support of the Proposition 93 comes as numerous GOP public officials, activists, and donors are taking an aggressive stand against the controversial measure. Republican Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has taken a lead role in opposing the initiative, which would grant both liberal Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and liberal State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata several more years in power.
Locally, San Bernardino Republican leaders Bob Dutton, the state senator who replaced Brulte in Senate District 31, Senator George Runner (SD 17) and Assembly Republican Caucus Chair Bob Huff (AD 60) have come out strongly against Prop 93. The chair of the No On 93 Campaign for the Inland Empire is former San Bernardino County Republican Party Chair (and current county Assessor) Bill Postmus. In addition, the California Republican Party has taken a formal vote of opposition to the measure.
Brulte, who is now a well-heeled consultant to a Capitol-connected insiders' lobbying firm, is the lone San Bernardino County Republican personality to support the highly contentious Democratic-authored measure. In an on-line commentary, Republican website publisher Jon Fleischman of the influential Flashreport has suggested Senate President Don Perata and/or Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez have applied "pressure" to get Brulte's support for the initiative.
Read an excerpt from Fleischman's analysis below:
Since his departure from the State Legislature, our friend Senator Brulte has been quite successful in his career providing strategic advice and counsel to companies and other interests trying to succeed in California's over-taxed and over-regulated climate. Brulte, with his large rolodex and good mind for policy issues, no doubt serves his clients well in his role as a principal at the high profile firm California Strategies. To be quite blunt about it, Jim's firm really has to maintain a positive relationship with the often bad-tempered Senate President Don Perata, and the ever-petulant Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. So with virtually everyone who is anyone in the GOP coming out strongly against Proposition 93, "The Big Lie" measure that would allow Perata to serve four more years, and Nunez six more, I have no doubt that some not-so-subtle pressure was applied to Brulte to endorse the measure.
I understand Jon Fleischman's point, and it is rather salient. However, it suggests a relative weakness on Brulte's part, and I am not sure Jim Brulte is as timid as Fleischman's analysis seems to suggest.
So the question remains: Did Jim Brulte back Proposition 93 out of "pressure," or does the longtime Sacramento insider politician sincerely believe in the merits of a measure deliberately designed to prolong the careers of powerful and ethically-questionable Democratic politicians like Don Perata and Fabian Nunez?
In his commentary, Jon Fleischman referenced Brulte's leadership in an outfit called California Strategies. Among Brulte's partners is Democratic politician Rusty Areias, who served with Brulte in the State Assembly. Areias (another ethically-questionable political figure) is well-connected to legislative Democrats, and was twice leadership's hand-picked nominee in two hard-fought state senate races. Areias lost both times, in large part due to his colorful background, which included a successful sexual harassment lawsuit against the Democratic pol.
It remains unclear if retired legislator Jim Brulte's support of Proposition 93 will result in a surge of support for the measure in San Bernardino County, or if the one-time Senate Minority Leader's endorsement will translate to statewide GOP support.
This is why many sports ban the use of performance enhancing drugs. Another form of doping is blood...
A lot of San Bernardino County GOP electeds/former electeds have been doing some strange things lately.
When will people realize that Jim Brulte is the fox in the hen house. Anyone remember colonies, energy deregulation, GOP recalls to say a few. This guy is a disaster.
He has his hands in every cookie jar from San Diego to Sacramento and wants to keep the good times rolling with his demo buddies. If they all leave he has to make new friends...if thats what you want to call them.
Thanks for noting my support for Prop 93. Or rather Prop 93's endorsement of a concept I have supported for over a decade.
People try to personalize initiatives rather than looking at the whole picture. I am not supporting the initiative simply to keep Fabian Nunez or Don Perata in power anymore than my fellow conservatives are opposing it to keep Senator McClintock from serving any longer.
Term limits are a good idea. But six years in the Assembly are not enough for people to learn the job, fully comprehend the nuances of complex policy issues, and develop the ability to stand up to their core constituencies when they believe those constituencies are wrong.
And as a result we have a horrible unintended consequence. Prior to term limits, the special interests needed the legislative leadership...not so today. Today the legislative leaders need the special interests; and that is a fundamental shift in the dynamic of the decision-making process. And not a good one.
Longer tenure mitigates that unintended consequence of the current term limit. When I say that only Nixon could go to China, that is understood to mean that it took a lifelong, anti-communist, conservative to be able to take what history now shows to be a very important step to begin dialogue with Mainland China. Someone without those bonafides would have never survived the uproar from such a controversial action.
Today's legislators are not in office long enough to develop their credentials with the base over an extended period of time. And because of that, many are afraid to do what they think is right when they know the base will object.
In fact, there are many "so called" Prop 93 opponents currently serving in the legislature who plan to vote for it and are secretly rooting for it to pass. They also plan to run again for re-election if it passes. They understand first hand that term limits need to be extended but are afraid of publicly taking a position unpopular with the base.
Extending term limits is simply one of several reforms that will make the legislature a more effective body. Eliminating the ability of legislators to draw their own districts, enacting a spending limit, requiring greater openness in government are a few additional reforms that are badly needed.
When I endorsed Prop 93, I knew that many of my friends would disagree. But isn't that what free political speech is supposed to mean. Heck, if two people agree on absolutely everything, there is no earthly need for one of them.
Let's debate this initiative on the merits and not make it about Nunez, Perata.....or McClintock.
PS. Although I consider Jon Fleishman a friend, I think his analysis of my reasons for supporting 93 is flawed. He argued that I needed to endorse it because I have clients who could be negatively affected and therefore succumbed to the Nunez pressure.
If I were a lobbyist, that might be the case. But since I provide strategic advice to my clients....and since the legislature (including the Speaker)are generally unaware of who my clients are, that argument does not hold water.
PPS. The SB Insider is correct in pointing out that one of my business partners, Rusty Areias is a well connected democrat who lost two hard fought races for the state legislature. I just wish he (or she) would have pointed out that I played a pivitol role in defeating former Assemblyman Areias in both of those races.....the last time as Senate Republican Leader when the candidate I recruited, now Senator Jeff Denham, beat Rusty.
PPPS. As for "Anonymous" and "Wake Up" I have always wondered about the character of people who write or blog but refuse to use their real names. They remind me of cockroaches....those dispicable little creatures who prance around in the dark, but run for cover when light is turned on.