Democrats to Push Agenda in Assembly

Despite facing likely Republican opposition on several fronts, Assembly Democrats on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious package of legislation aimed at improving education, health care, worker protections and other pet measures--and vowed to push them in the GOP-controlled lower house.

“Why bother, when the Republicans have stacked the committees against us?” Assembly Democratic leader Richard Katz asked at a Capitol news conference. “Just because we’re the minority, we won’t be silenced.”

Even though Republicans control the Assembly with 41 seats to the Democrats’ 37, Katz said that “working Californians” are on the side of the Democrats’ “middle-of-the-road agenda.”

Heading the list of topics that Katz and four colleagues presented were nine Democratic-authored kindergarten-through-12th-grade education bills. The Democrats are calling for a vast reduction in average class size, down from the high 30s that prevail to no more than 20 students per class.

Asked how California could afford the high expense of additional classroom space and more teachers necessary to achieve the goal, Katz acknowledged that it “can’t be done overnight but you’ve got to start somewhere” and “before you do it, you have to have a commitment.”

Although Republicans are likely to find the Democrats’ public schools plans problematic, especially those requiring extensive increases in state school funding, other parts of the Democratic agenda may be more enticing to the GOP.

Democratic measures to crack down on welfare fraud, spur work incentive programs, provide regulatory relief for businesses, tax simplification and tougher penalties for repeat criminals may find Republican supporters.

Gary Foster, a spokesman for Republican Speaker Curt Pringle, said, “We are happy to see at least rhetorically that Assembly Democrats have embraced Republican ideas of welfare reform” and other issues. On matters such as taxes, Foster said, “we still have a ways to go before we see eye to eye.”

Other proposals on the Assembly Democrats’ list:

* Higher education: A bill, AB 2162, by Willard Murray (D-Paramount) would reduce from $13 to $10 the per-unit cost of classes at community colleges. AB 2397 by Marguerite Archie-Hudson (D-Los Angeles) would “drop a 20-mile net” around community colleges and aim courses and training for skills required by nearby businesses. AB 2477 by Archie-Hudson would develop a “virtual campus” by expanding course work and training aids on the Internet.

Also, AB 3219 by Valerie Brown (D-Sonoma) would allow families to save $1,000 a year tax-free for future education needs, to which the state would add contributions on a sliding scale depending on need.

* Health care: Several bills would require managed care and health maintenance organizations to deal fairly with patients. Among them is AB 2390 by Martha M. Escutia (D-Huntington Park), which would would create clearer rules and guidelines for coverage of physician-recommended care.

* Environment: A number of bills have been introduced to clean up air, land and water, preserve natural resources and streamline regulations. AB 2623 by Sheila J. Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) would allow electrically powered vehicles to use commuter lanes in certain areas of the state. The Democrats’ package includes two environment-oriented bond measures, one a $300-million bond act to upgrade parks and recreational facilities in urban areas, and another bond with an as-yet unspecified amount to protect the mountains and coast.

* Worker protection and community aid: AB 2373 by Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) would provide a tax credit to businesses that employ welfare mothers, poor youths and youths receiving vocational training. Tax credits would also be available to ranchers who provide housing for farm workers under AB 2661 by Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno).

AB 2828 by Michael Sweeney (D-Hayward) would send back to communities some funds taken from them by the state during the recession. The bill recommends as the source of funding the state’s $1.3-billion surplus.