This week on State of Affairs:
- An abrupt resignation in the Assembly now leaves three open seats in L.A. What could it all mean for Democrats in the state?
- What was California's most important political story in 2017?
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, professor of public policy at USC, says:
Trump versus California on so many policy decisions: immigration, DACA, and what is next for the Dreamers. Healthcare, environment, taxes, national monuments and on and on and on. There's been a political as well as a policy disconnect between Washington and Sacramento.
Carla Marinucci, the senior editor for Politico’s California Playbook, says:
I think one of the most impactful stories was the story which changed politics, entertainment, business, feminism and even our culture and that's the "me too" story.
Remember this is a story that began in California — that firestorm over producer Harvey Weinstein. And that has burned all the way to Washington, to Silicon Valley, to Sacramento. It's brought down not only major names in entertainment like Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. but media, Charlie Rose. In Congress: Al Franken and John Conyers. And as we mentioned, it's already sparked the resignation of two Assemblymen and placed enormous pressure on state Senator Tony Mendoza also to resign. He's hanging on, but he's been stripped of leadership positions.
This is important because Sacramento is now under pressure to change in a big way.