California Legislature

Although three Californians remain in the running for top administration posts, some leading state Democrats fear that the Golden State may be losing its luster in the eyes of the White House as President Clinton rounds out his new Cabinet. With half a dozen spots left to fill before the year's end, UC Berkeley Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien is a leading candidate for secretary of energy, Los Angeles Rep.

In the bars and restaurants around the Capitol, politicians and lobbyists have set out on a high-priced club crawl like no other. It may be the last under the current system of campaign fund-raising, one in which political giving is a constant, and no contribution is too big. The reason for the December money-raising rush is clear: At midnight Dec. 31, voter-approved Proposition 208 will ring in a new era, one with far stricter rules on political donations.

Amid references to history in the making, the California Assembly on Monday elected Democrat Cruz Bustamante as speaker, the first Latino to attain that powerful post, while the Senate quickly reelected Bill Lockyer as its leader. With Democrats back in control of the Assembly, Bustamante, a Fresno moderate, won with the votes of all 43 Democrats in the 80-member house.

A much-revamped San Fernando Valley state legislative delegation, featuring more Democrats, a half-dozen newcomers, one career comeback and the first Latino legislator to represent the area, was sworn in at the state Capitol on Monday. "This reminds me of our wedding day," anxious freshman Assemblyman Tony Cardenas said before the ceremony. "So much preparation. So much responsibility. So much contemplation. It's an exciting moment."

For a time, lawmakers working on California's new budget appeared to have settled one of the most touchy issues to emerge this year: funding for desegregation of big city schools, particularly in Los Angeles. But a deal, struck by the Senate-Assembly budget conference committee at 1 a.m. Tuesday, ran into major trouble 12 hours later, as Los Angeles Democrats charged that wealthy districts would gain at the expense of L.A.

For a time, lawmakers working on California's new budget appeared to have settled one of the most touchy issues to emerge this year: funding for desegregation of big city schools, particularly in Los Angeles. But a deal, struck by the Senate-Assembly budget conference committee at 1 a.m. Tuesday, ran into major trouble 12 hours later, as Los Angeles Democrats charged that wealthy districts would gain at the expense of L.A.

Republicans are trying their darnedest to get two good bites from the same apple of three strikes. But it's highly unlikely the second bite will match the first unless Democrats do something dumb. Like give Republicans the whole apple. The GOP enjoyed a delicious feast in 1994 by converting public anger over violent crime--the Polly Klaas murder, the L.A. riots--into one of the most popular ballot measures ever: "three strikes and you're out." First a bill barreled through the Legislature.

The tradition continues: California's new fiscal year starts today and the governor and Legislature have missed the state's constitutional deadline for adopting a new budget. As it is almost every year, school spending is the big sticking point. But there's a twist this time--it's Gov. Pete Wilson and Republicans who are pushing for school spending.

Maybe Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill was right. Maybe, as the late House speaker said, all politics is local. But rarely has that maxim been more clear in a national election year than in Tuesday's primary when the Los Angeles County voters who do trudge to the polls will do so largely to decide local races, not high-profile contests. With the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations decided, the Golden State's primary lacks the luster of many prior elections.