CalMatters
By Alexei Koseff, CalMatters
Like many new political candidates at the time, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan first ran for the state Assembly in 2018 because she was troubled by the election of then-President Donald Trump and wanted California to fight back against his administration.
Six years later, that dynamic has flipped on its head. In the just-concluded regular legislative session, the San Ramon Democrat and her colleagues instead battled a surging rebellion from conservative California communities against the state’s liberal governance.
On issues including abortion access, election rules and LGBTQ rights, Democrats in Sacramento passed legislation this year to stifle emerging local policies that they argued undermine the state’s commitment to diversity, civil rights and other progressive values.
“In certain ways, we have the right to hold the line for our constituencies,” said Bauer-Kahan, who compared the relationship between the Legislature and local governments to a system of checks and balances. “And I think that’s what we’re doing right now — we’re checking them.”
Tensions over local control are nothing new in California politics, as anyone who has followed decades of debate about land use and housing development can attest. But the last few years have opened a new front of conflict around cultural grievances more typical of red states.
With Republican power waning in California — the party hasn’t elected a candidate to statewide office since 2006 and labors under a superminority in the Legislature — conservatives are increasingly using the relative autonomy of city councils, county boards of supervisors and school boards to protest liberal state policymaking and assert a competing vision for their communities.
“There’s just a lot of built-up frustration and that’s one valve that’s being used,” said Assemblymember Bill Essayli, a Corona Republican who is often an outspoken opponent of bills to shut down conservative defiance. “We’re in an era in politics where you need an adversary.”
The result has been local laws to require voter identification at the polls, block abortion clinics from opening, review children’s library books for sexual content and mandate parental notification when students change their gender identity at school — prompting legislative Democrats to respond with measures that would ban those policies.
“They don’t want free people to make up their own minds,” said Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau, who developed a library material review committee for his county because he was disturbed by the children’s books included in a Pride Month display at a local library. “We’re fighting for our lives, we’re fighting for our livelihoods, we’re fighting for our beliefs.”
The clash began intensifying last year, with a showdown over an elementary school social studies textbook. When a Riverside County school board refused to adopt the state-approved curriculum because it referenced assassinated LGBTQ rights activist Harvey Milk, Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to send the textbook directly to students and bill the district, which then reversed course. Legislators subsequently passed a law to penalize school boards that ban books because they include the history or culture of LGBTQ people and other diverse groups.
The Legislature also approved, and Newsom signed, a measure to limit when local governments can count ballots by hand, after Shasta County canceled its contract with a voting machine company because of unfounded election fraud claims pushed by Trump and his allies.
A spate of legislation has followed this year, most controversially Assembly Bill 1955 by Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, which prevents school districts from alerting parents when a student starts identifying as another gender. Such parental notification policies began sprouting up across California after the 2022 election, when Republicans focused on winning control of school boards, but critics argue they amount to forced outing. Essayli and Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson nearly came to blows on the Assembly floor over AB 1955, which Newsom signed in July.
Several other measures are headed to the governor’s desk after receiving final approval from the Legislature last week, including Bauer-Kahan’s AB 2085 to streamline the permitting process for reproductive health clinics. Though California has positioned itself as an “abortion sanctuary” since the U.S Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion — even putting reproductive rights into the state constitution — local opposition has prevented clinics from opening in cities such as Beverly Hills and Fontana.
“We saw the voters say they overwhelmingly support abortion rights, so it’s important that we as a state step in to ensure this access that they said they want,” Bauer-Kahan said.
Senate Bill 1174 by state Sen. Dave Min, an Irvine Democrat, would prohibit local governments from requiring voter identification in municipal elections, which Huntington Beach adopted this past spring as a security measure despite criticisms that it would create unnecessary hurdles for poor and minority voters.
And AB 1825 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, would outlaw the sort of citizen review panels that Huntington Beach and Fresno County recently created to restrict access to library books with “sexual references” and “gender-identity content.” Supporters argue the committees can keep inappropriate material out of children’s hands, while opponents contend that they target books with LGBTQ themes for censorship.
The legislators behind these bills say they support local control on some issues, but it can go too far when communities use their power to challenge people’s rights or the values that Californians have broadly affirmed. That’s when they believe the state should step in.
“I see it as our responsibility for the Legislature to establish protections for all kids regardless of where they live,” said Muratsuchi, a Torrance Democrat.
Democratic lawmakers suggested the growing confrontation could be a symptom of the divisive politics of the Trump era. They said many conservatives took a signal from Trump’s refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 presidential election and, like liberal states during the Trump administration, are picking up the mantle to lead a political resistance — which they believe, in many cases, has gone too far.
“You’ve seen a lot of these people really thumb their nose at the rule of law,” Min said. “They’re trying to get around that through sneaky little tactics.”
Conservative politicians counter that they are simply reacting to a state government that has pushed much further left than their constituents by listening to the LGBTQ rights movement and other activists rather than the people who elected them. Essayli said the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature is over-representative of a progressive ideology compared to California voters, only 46% of whom are registered Democrats.
“There’s one side changing what the norm is,” he said. “Then we’re considered the instigators, the agitators, the provocateurs for saying, wait, that’s not the way it’s always been.”
A spokesperson for Newsom declined to comment on the legislation pending before him or when the governor thinks state intervention is necessary to override local policies. But even if he signs the bills on his desk, is it almost certainly not the end of this fight, as communities such as Huntington Beach — which has positioned itself over the past two years as a bulwark in the conservative war against “wokeism” — consider lawsuits and other forms of protest.
Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark has already introduced a “parents’ right to know” ordinance as a direct challenge to AB 1955, the law prohibiting schools from reporting when students change their gender identity.
She said her city is more at odds now with Sacramento because state politicians are trying to stamp out ideological diversity in California and force all parents to raise their children in a certain way.
“That’s none of the state’s business,” she said. “We’re sick and tired of it. We need to push back.”
“It would be great if Sacramento could focus on homelessness, crime,” she added, “and leave the parenting to the parents.”
This article was originally published by CalMatters.
Having a super-majority making and approving laws is not conducive to good governing as it removes any chance of debate and compromise. And now even attempts to have some semblance of other points of view at the local level are being crushed at the state level. This is not a good situation for our society going forward.
Everyone has their own point of view at every level. The issue is stone age bigots forcing their views on others.
Perhaps with the GOP and Dems from 20 years ago I would agree with this statement. As the GOP have devolved into the fascist form they are now, a super-majority is the only ethical option especially for progressive Californians. This does allow for the Democratic party to offer fractional preferences within their party lines that are more liberal to more moderate. The GOP’s “point of view” is smeared with lies and corruption as the party has refused to acknowledge Trump’s errors and instead kiss the ring. Even at the local level as local GOPs are banning books and discriminating against the LGBTQ population. Californians cannot and will not trust the GOP any longer, hence super majority. This is an opportunity however for CA Dems to open their party to moderate Dems and include their voices in lawmaking.
The party is open.
https://advocacy.calchamber.com/2021/06/08/moderate-democrats-show-influence-in-key-policy-areas/
If I could jump in here… I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I prefer to vote for who I think is best qualified to perform the job we’re electing them to do.
And I prefer to have small government, individual control over our lives and a government by the people rather than by an elite inner circle. But I see that the Democratic Party has become as far to the left (espousing many socialist policies and principles) as you say the Republican Party has become on the right. From my discussions with friends on both sides of the political spectrum I see that there are many conservative folks who don’t support personality politics nor support Trump but who feel unable to counter the current polarized, personality-driven situation. As was mentioned in an earlier comment, that doesn’t bode well for the future of our society.
You are a right winger, whether registered as Republican or not, so don’t pretend to be “neither” anything.
That’s all extremely vague and based in a general statement.
“But I see that the Democratic Party has become as far to the left (espousing many socialist policies and principles) as you say the Republican Party has become on the right. ”
1. Exactly what policies do you object to.
2. When you say “socialist” exactly what do you mean?
If you oppose “socialist policies” do you oppose Medicare, and Social Security?
True, it is based on a general statement of my conversations with many on both sides of the political spectrum. As far as your disagreement that the Democratic Party has moved far to the left, what about mandating the prices corporations can charge for their products or mandating minimum wages that exceed the businesses’ ability to cover. What about the proposals to tax unrealized capital gains? Any idea what things like that would do to investment in our society?
Did I disagree with anything you said?
No.
I asked you a couple of questions. What does “Socialism” mean to you.
I asked you what policies you object to. So you object to any minimum wage in this country at all? Or do you have a particular dollar amount that you object to? If so, do you think that the same minimum wage should be applied equally across the US? Or should it be a sliding scale depending on where it is applied to take widely varying cost of living into account?
In regards to capital gains, there is no consensus on the impact to investment in the US should there be an increase. The extremely wealthy have been paying far less than their fair share of tax in this country for as long as there have been extremely wealthy people.
I’m talking about this as someone who runs a lot of expenses through S corps and an LLC and therefore realize huge tax benefits that most Americans can never access.
And mandating price controls? Exactly what are you talking about? Do you favor credit card companies being able to charge unlimited interest hikes and late fees? Do you support companies burying junk fees?
So, specific questions, love to hear your answers.
Here’s a question for you Alexblue, do you support wasting other people’s money?
That “question” makes my point below……
“They don’t want free people to make up their own minds,” said Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau
Such hypocrisy, as he fights to ban books: ‘who developed a library material review committee for his county because he was disturbed by the children’s books included in a Pride Month display at a local library.’
“We’re fighting for our lives” — no, he’s fighting to impose his homophobia on everyone.
“we’re fighting for our livelihoods” — what, as a professional bigot? Maybe he should learn a skill and move on from politics.
“we’re fighting for our beliefs.” — no, he’s fighting to impose his stone age beliefs onto everyone.
‘Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark … said state politicians are trying to stamp out ideological diversity in California and force all parents to raise their children in a certain way.’
She’s a liar and a hypocrite.
Right wingers are not good people and it’s very dangerous to give them political power. They should be opposed at every turn.
Ca is as liberal as a state in the Union gets, and the small community of SB/Edhat is also extremely liberal. Those who don’t have a sense for the rest of the country and how others feel, and live, will always wanna move further and further left. There’s a lot of good reasons folks around the country resist that concept.
BASIC – that’s not why people “move left,” it’s because they’re educated, compassionate and care about the future. We’re the opposite of the me me me, now now now, I got mine and screw everyone else who needs help getting theirs, right.
Good people stand for good things. Others don’t. You’ve made a choice.
I see, you’re saying…
Republicans are dumb and evil.
Democrats are smart and kind.
I love that!
What do you call folks on the middle then? Kinda smart but kinda evil too? Jesus Christ man. You’re foolish. You should be on the red side shouldn’t ya?
No, BASIC, not “evil,” just support selfish policies that don’t consider the future – drilling for oil, tax breaks for the rich, cutting funds for education, taking away free lunches, forcing women to give birth even if they’re minors who were raped by their uncles, etc. That kind of stuff. If you support that stuff, you aren’t very smart (unless you’re rich) and you don’t really care about other people. Just facts dude.
You can be a decent person if you’re a Repub, but not if you support far right stuff like this.
People with more knowledge of history, politics, science, etc tend to vote blue because their policies take these things into account as opposed to calling them “hoaxes” and “fake news.”
I’m not the fool here, Cap’n.
Republicans may not be dumb and evil, but the candidates they vote for sure are. Is it transitive? Appearances suggest it.
FURTHER – I never once said Republicans are “dumb” or even uneducated. I simply stated the fact that many people move to the left because they’re educated and compassionate. To say they are educated on certain issues (as opposed to the far right beliefs about science and vaccines being “hoaxes” for example) and they find more in common with others on the left.
I admit, maybe I should have clarified more, but once again you’ve simplified something using your own brand of elementary school logic. That’s not the case.
Further, saying “other don’t (stand for good things)” is not at all saying all Republicans are “evil.” Again, your overly simplistic reasoning getting the better of you.
It would be nice to have a serious conversation about this stuff once in a while, so I welcome ANON’s rebuttal. I wish there were more like that on this site instead of the constant, reactionary and insult-laden tirades.
Hey BASIC, so are the best and brightest of the Republicans supporting this guy?
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4869901-vance-haitians-eating-pets-ohio-trump/
I mean, it’s kinda what the right is depending on now – wild, racist lies about immigrants to stoke up fear in low educated ‘Mericans. Well, it’s what they’ve ALWAYS relied on really, but this is really low. It sounds like the stuff they used to say about the Chinese immigrants back in the 1800s.
There is no equivalence of lying and hate like this on the left.
That’s my point.
While it’s commendable to view progressive values as rooted in education, compassion, and concern for the future, it’s important to recognize that people on all parts of the political spectrum also believe they are motivated by positive intentions. Many who lean right advocate for personal responsibility, individual freedom, and limited government intervention, seeing these principles as essential to empowering individuals to succeed. They might argue that promoting self-reliance and economic freedom ultimately benefits society as a whole by encouraging innovation, hard work, and personal accountability.
Additionally, dismissing those who don’t align with progressive views as selfish or uncaring oversimplifies complex political and ethical beliefs. Many on the right are involved in charitable work, community service, and other forms of helping others, but believe that private or local solutions are more effective than government programs. Instead of assuming a moral high ground, engaging in meaningful dialogue to understand different perspectives can foster more constructive conversations about shared values and goals.
Well said. Couldn’t agree more. I’m glad you weren’t deleted instantly for stating an honest, thoughtful opinion that isn’t extremist political one way or the other.
Yes, BASIC. That is how a mature person reasons and responds. I agree with their statement.
You’re right, but the problem is that most assume that Trump somehow represents their views. As Dick Cheney pointed out, Ronald Reagan would be appalled by Trump. He simply does not represent traditional conservative values – on the contrary, he’s a wild spender who can’t even decide how he feels about abortion.
I do not dismiss those who support Republican values as selfish or uncaring – I would even go so far as to say that the two parties have been an essential balance over the years to embrace, while also constraining, social change. But Donald Trump is both selfish and uncaring about anything but himself. He does not represent conservativism.
ANON – you’re absolutely right. I did oversimplify. I was really referring to the far right, which I wish I would have clarified.
Oh hell yeah. And also, if people do all the good works you note above, and claim to be motivated by a desire for a greater good, and at the same time they support a criminal who advocates violence, sexually assaults women, advances racism, and commits fraud across multiple events and businesses–well, that person is then an absolute hypocrite.
Self reliance and economic freedom make for good sound bites, and are indeed positive values, but there is a danger in mischaracterizing them, especially when elevating them to a high priority.
Being self motivated and willing to work hard at starting a new business for example, can be seen as self-reliant. But that term can also paper over all the dependencies we have on economic systems, road & transportation systems, personal networks, and quite possibly the hidden benefits of membership in the dominant culture. Similarly “economic freedom” has a very dark side deeply rooted in dominant culture privilege. What some people call “freedom” is more truthfully an advantage of birth into a system where the rules are different for different groups.
I’m not saying these qualities are bad per se, but we have to be honest and careful how we think of them before we make them lofty values.
I think this grossly oversimplifies right wing attitudes and motivations and obscures the things that liberals are critical of.
If you weren’t always so nasty Dalgorf, there might be someone, somewhere who was actually thinking for a moment about what you have to say.