BIGGEST WINNERS: HOUSE DEMOCRATS
Inside Bay Area (California)
November 8, 2006 Wednesday
WASHINGTON — Parochially speaking, the Republicans’ Capitol Hill
loss could be California’s gain.
When the 110th Congress is sworn in next January, a Californian will
hold the most powerful position in the House of Representatives. At
least 17 other California House Democrats are likewise poised by dint
of seniority to chair committees or subcommittees.
"It’s always great to have people in leadership, from either party,
from your state," noted Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced.
The full impact of Tuesday’s election will unfold over time, as House
Democrats adjust to their newfound majority status.
There will be unforeseeable ripple effects, as one change begets
another. "There’s a lot of jockeying that’s going to happen before
the end of the year," Cardoza said.
Still, the ascension of Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to House
speaker will give the Golden State considerable clout. She will be
the first Californian to take the House’s top job, as well as the
first woman.
As speaker, Pelosi will direct what bills reach the House floor. She
picks who gets plum assignments. She appoints House negotiators who
compromise with the Senate. She will be in earmark heaven, shaping
legislative bottom lines to her satisfaction.
"It’s a big step forward," said Vic Fazio, a Washington lobbyist who
formerly represented the Sacramento Valley in the House. "For the
region, it’s actually quite good."
Pelosi’s top lieutenants are likewise attuned to California’s
appetites. They include close advisers like Rep. George Miller,
D-Concord, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Eureka. Pelosi’s chief of staff,
John Lawrence, holds a doctorate in history from the University of
California, Berkeley, and cut his political teeth on Central Valley
water politics.
Californians will chair at least five full committees, if seniority
prevails.
Miller will take over the House Education and the Workforce
Committee. Even the committee’s name might change. When Democrats
controlled Congress, they symbolically saluted their union allies by
calling the panel the Education and Labor Committee.
More substantively, Pelosi has promised that within the "first 100
hours" of the new Congress, Democrats will emphasize six priorities
that include increasing the national minimum wage to $7.25 an hour,
up from the current $5.15. California’s current minimum wage is $6.75.
The wage hike could still flounder amid Senate and White House
resistance. So could other House Democratic priorities, like the
costly proposal to screen 100percent of the 7million-plus ocean cargo
containers that arrive annually in Oakland, Long Beach and other ports.
Currently, inspectors reach only about 5 percent of seaborne containers
entering the United States.
"It is realistic to set out an agenda," said Tim Ransdell, executive
director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Studies. "It
is less realistic to think that every item on a grand wish list can
be achieved."
Another Bay Area lawmaker, Rep. Tom Lantos of San Mateo, is the senior
Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. The panel
will certainly become a forum for critiquing Iraq policies.
More narrowly, fresh hearings are likely for ethnic political disputes,
such as an Armenian genocide resolution favored by San Joaquin Valley
lawmakers.
The House Government Reform Committee under Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los
Angeles, will aggressively investigate the Bush administration.
Californians are likewise in line to chair committees handling ethics
and House administration.
The state’s defense industry is watching whether Los Angeles Democrat
Jane Harman will head the House intelligence panel. She has the
seniority and is lobbying hard, but she’s at odds with Pelosi, who
handpicks the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Besides committees, power will flow anew to certain coalitions.
Cardoza and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, are among 37 members of the
Blue Dog coalition. The centrist Democrats seek more influence,
bridging the gap between Democratic liberals and moderate Republicans.
"We will have to shift into defensive mode," said Rep. Devin Nunes,
R-Visalia. "This will mean working in a coalition with the Blue Dogs,
to stop bad things for the Valley from coming through."
California is also losing some stature. The House water and power
subcommittee responsible for shepherding a San Joaquin River settlement
bill, for instance, is now passing from the hands of Republican
Rep. George Radanovich of Mariposa.
"I think the Valley agenda will be the same," predicted Rep. Richard
Pombo, R-Tracy, "but it will be much harder to get things done."