A Session With Davis’ Stamp

The California Legislature has completed a productive 1999 session that was neither as bad as conservatives and business had feared nor as good as liberals and labor unions had hoped. On the whole, the legislative output reflects the pragmatic tone set by Gov. Gray Davis in his inaugural address last Jan. 4 when he said he would govern from the center--where the voters stand--propelled not by ideology but by common sense.

That often put Davis at odds with fellow Democrats, who control the Legislature. They had chafed under 16 years of Republican governors and saw at last in 1999 a chance to push through a progressive-liberal agenda.

At times, it seemed Davis focused more on the prospect of campaign contributions and the tea leaves of opinion polls. At first, he reacted slowly and negatively to legislation coming his way. And he irritated lawmakers by saying their job was to “implement my vision.” There was nothing very visionary about the limited agenda Davis offered.

By the end of the session, the administration had begun negotiating more adeptly on a broad array of issues, seeking to revise bills so they would meet the governor’s dictates--to restrain spending, be tough on crime and keep California friendly to business. The record will not be complete for a month because Davis has until Oct. 10 to sign or veto the hundreds of bills sent to him in the final hours of the session.

For all the talk of friction, the Democrats were more united than divided. With relative unity, Davis and the Legislature fashioned an education reform program, the governor’s top priority; passed landmark legislation to restrict the proliferation of assault weapons and handguns, and approved a balanced budget on time, a rarity in recent years. Davis initially was cool to health care reform--his polls said it wasn’t a big issue--but he later relented and worked successfully with legislators on that too. And on Friday, he brokered a landmark agreement with almost 60 tribes on Indian gambling casinos.

Some new programs will increase the cost of government, but Davis generally was about as tightfisted with taxpayer dollars as his GOP predecessor, Pete Wilson. He accelerated a cut in auto registration fees by a year and reinforced his tough-on-crime position by vetoing a bill to allow reporters to interview state prison inmates. In scolding tones Wilson would admire, Davis said inmates should not be celebrated in the media.

Organized labor, the biggest single contributor to Democratic campaign war chests, won back some needed worker rights, but much of labor’s agenda was blunted by Davis’ sensitivity to the pleadings of business and industry.

Both the Assembly and Senate should be pleased with their work, but the record of 1999 definitely bears a Gray Davis stamp. Some days he tilted right, other days to the left. By the end, he and the Legislature had managed to move California modestly in the correct direction--forward.