Why the California Assembly Speaker did Republicans a favor by jerking them around | Opinion

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas sent a message last week by punishing certain Republican lawmakers — but it was probably not the message he intended.

The Hollister Democrat stripped away a few committee assignments from political opponents hoping to project strength. Instead, he signaled he’s focused on the wrong things.

The five Republicans are all outspoken, and the punishment came down mere hours after one, Carl DeMaio of San Diego, got traction on social media. He was rightfully raising questions about, among other things, a $25 million budget request for a program that seems to have outlived its usefulness in awarding taxpayer-funded grants to left-wing activist groups.

DeMaio is known as a bomb thrower and has earned that reputation by annoying Democrats and Republicans alike. But he is an effective messenger and is a bonafide good-government reformer and fiscal-policy wonk through his work with think tanks and on the San Diego City Council. His questions might have merit.

Whether DeMaio was right or wrong on this matter is beside the point. Rivas’ swift and disproportionate reaction to DeMaio makes it seem like there’s something to hide. Rivas subsequently ducked through a Capitol backdoor, to seemingly to avoid a reporter seeking answers about the committee firings on Monday, which only fueled suspicions of his behavior.

Rivas’ retaliation also came a few days after Joe Patterson of Rocklin introduced legislation banning the use of non-disclosure agreements in legislative negotiations. This reform should be non-controversial to anyone but powerful special interests. By punishing Patterson, Rivas gives the impression that Democrats don’t want taxpayers or the news media to know what they’re doing behind closed doors at the People’s House. This is an especially troubling move with Sunshine Week – when we recommit ourselves to openness and transparency in government – just around the corner the week of March 16.

It’s important to note that while DeMaio tends to ruffle a lot of feathers, Patterson is generally well-liked and strives to be collegial.

Of the other Republicans punished, Bill Essayli of Corona mirrors DeMaio in ticking off Democrats and Republicans alike, and has endured various punishments over the years.

Though he could have drawn the ire of the speaker for any number of reasons, it’s noteworthy that Essayli had recently formed a coalition with a Democrat who is a reparations activists to try to pass a governance bill that died last year, partly due to Rivas.

The other two Republicans losing committee assignments, David Tangipa of Fresno and Alexandra Macedo of Tulare, came to Sacramento like many freshman lawmakers excited to change the world. In taking action against them, Rivas is saying: Behave or beware.

All of this highlights the moral corruption in Sacramento. Democrats have a supermajority and therefore get to run the Legislature and govern as they see fit. But Republicans were also elected and represent nearly a half million Californians each and have just as much of a right to advocate for the priorities of their constituents as Democrats.

There’s an old saying in politics: “perception is reality.” It doesn’t matter what Rivas was trying to accomplish, he will be judged by how it appears.

And this is how it appears. First, the concerns of the constituents of these five Republican reformers don’t matter in Robert Rivas’ Sacramento. Second, what matters most is petty politics, not producing meaningful results to lower the cost of living or implement the sentencing reforms that voters approved in Proposition 36 to stop retail theft as the people intended. Third, by shutting down those raising questions about NDAs, government waste and other issues, Rivas is signaling that Republicans are on to something.

In attacking these five lawmakers, Rivas will likely embolden rather than silence them. And that’s the irony of making five martyrs – he may think he’s punishing them but he’s actually strengthened their standing in Sacramento.

Whatever Rivas’s motivations, this incident looks bad for the cause of openness and free exchange of ideas at the State Capitol.x

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Why the California Assembly Speaker did Republicans a favor by jerking them around | Opinion."