Speaker Is Praised in Send-Off

Two years after taking charge of the state Assembly with a promise that his leadership “was not about me, it’s about we,” Speaker Herb Wesson relinquished control Monday and counted among his greatest accomplishments simply unifying a fractious group of Democrats.

Being forced out by term limits, the Culver City Democrat was the seventh speaker in nine years to lead the Legislature’s larger house.

He earned high regard from his colleagues in an institution that, according to polls, is held in extremely low regard by the public.

In a nearly three-hour send-off Monday, fellow lawmakers praised Wesson, 52, as a kind, fair leader who gave every member equal respect and consideration.

“He’s a coach and he keeps his team together,” said Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton). “It’s sort of a drama to see him stand before the caucus and take questions without offending anybody, always conciliatory.”

Critics say the Assembly failed to tackle California’s most pressing problems under Wesson’s tenure.

But they put less blame on Wesson than they do on the term limits that voters passed in 1990 to restrict a lawmaker to serving no more than six years in the Assembly.

“He’s the ultimate term-limited speaker,” said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. He called Wesson “not a policy guy.”

“When you study the impact of term limits,” Cain said, “these guys have six years, and they can’t take on issues that have long gestation periods.

“It’d be foolish for an Assembly person to take on something big and structural like energy or workers’ compensation, because you might not see the fruition of all that hard work.”

Wesson made history by locking up the Assembly for 29 straight hours to reach a budget deal in July -- said to be the longest continuous session ever in the Assembly.

But Wesson also will be remembered for charges of political payback and patronage.

Acting unilaterally as speaker, Wesson awarded nearly $350,000 in contracts to half a dozen political allies. They included former Republican Assemblyman Mike Briggs of Fresno, who angered his fellow party members by casting a critical vote on the budget in 2002, and Pasadena City Councilman Chris Holden, son of former Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden, for whom Wesson once worked as chief deputy.

Wesson initially defended the contracts but eventually canceled most of them after a public outcry last April.

The son of a Cleveland autoworker represents a heavily Democratic district and has said he may run for state Senate or lieutenant governor in two years.

Though his Assembly term does not end until December, Wesson will be replaced as speaker Monday upon the swearing-in of Assemblyman Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles).

First elected to the Assembly in 2002, Nunez, 37, has the potential to run the house for five years, longer than anyone has served in the post since term limits ousted Willie Brown in 1995 after a 14-year tenure.

In an interview last month, Wesson listed among his accomplishments the 2002 passage of legislation to regulate vehicle tailpipe emissions linked to global warming, and a more recent deal struck with Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to put two budget-balancing measures on the March ballot.

His toughest challenge as speaker, Wesson said, was holding together the diverse 48-member Democratic caucus through a budget shortfall bigger than the entire budgets of most states.

In a speech Monday, Wesson said, “I generally don’t pat myself on the back, but in this case I think I should because I did have to deal with you ... and I only had to be stopped from jumping off the portico twice.”

A high point of Wesson’s leadership came in late July, when he locked the Assembly in its chilly, ornate chambers all day and night, refusing to let lawmakers leave until they passed a budget.

He then worked behind the scenes to win the six Republican votes necessary to support a budget that relied heavily on borrowing to narrow a $38-billion projected gap.