Posted on 03/17/2007 9:48:48 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
More than three state senators were temporarily locked out of their Sacramento offices this week. All Californians were, as Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, declared freedom of thought will not be tolerated in his chambers.
Perata deludes himself to think he is the elected dictator of the Senate. He is the presiding officer of the Legislature's upper house. Californians to Perata: You're merely a first among equals.
Voters elected Democrats Ron Calderon of Montebello, Lou Correra of Santa Ana and Gloria Negrete-McLeod of Chino to represent their interests, not Perata's or even the Democratic Party's in the Senate.
When the trio served in the Assembly, they were members of the "Mod Squad," a bloc of moderate Democrats that included Kern's Assemblywoman Nicole Parra. Recently elected to the Senate, these moderates sometimes voted with Republicans to represent business interests.
There's nothing new about caucuses, or voting blocs. There are caucuses representing virtually every definable demographic or political point of view in every legislative body in America. There are even some in the state Senate. Apparently only those that fall into line with the Senate leader's views are tolerated, however.
When Calderon, Carrera and Negrete-McLeod moved to the Senate, they were viewed by some as the nucleus of a "Mod Squad" potentially forming in that chamber. Perata made it clear he would not tolerate such a bloc in his Senate.
When the trio attended a fundraiser last week arranged by Parra to benefit moderates in the Legislature, Perata snapped his whip by locking the senators out of their Capitol offices.
Changing the locks sent a not-so-subtle message: Deviations from party orthodoxy spell that liberal will not be tolerated.
Good for Parra and her colleagues for sticking up for their constituents and moderate colleagues. Diversity, not rigid loyalty to an ideology or party leadership, is needed in Sacramento. The legislative process, by definition, is supposed be representative.
Responding to Perata's lockout to punish the Senate trio, Parra articulated the Civics 101 principle: "I'm an elected official and my district and my constituents are just as important as the leadership's districts and constituents."
The snap we heard in Sacramento was not just from Perata's whip. It was from his mind.
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