A new street sign honoring the late community leader and former Assemblymember Howard Wayne was unveiled in Linda Vista on Saturday.

The honorary sign reading “Howard Wayne St” was placed at the intersection of Morena Boulevard and Buenos Avenue.

“Howard’s passion to make a positive impact wherever he went and with everything he did  was an inspiration for so many in the community, myself included,” said San Diego City  Councilmember Raul Campillo, who arranged for the sign.

“He truly loved his community, and his community loved him. I’m grateful to be able to celebrate Howard with an honorary street naming in his home neighborhood of Linda Vista,” Campillo said.

Wayne, who died in November 2023, served as a deputy attorney general, assemblymember for the 78th District, and chair of the Linda Vista Planning Group.

The site of the street sign was chosen because Wayne was instrumental in the Morena Corridor Plan and because his wife, Mary, lives nearby.

Legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas to ban the use of thin-film plastic bags at grocery store checkouts passed the California Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 1053 closes a loophole to the original ban enacted 10 years ago to ensure that customers are offered either paper bags or fully reusable plastic bags at checkout.

“California’s original ban on plastic bags hasn’t worked out as planned, and sadly, the state’s plastic bag waste has increased dramatically since it went into effect,” Blakespear said. “We need to do better.”

Blakespear said that “almost none” of the plastic bags currently sold at checkout are actually recycled, so her bill requires bags to meet higher recycling standards.

“The reality is that these bags are difficult to recycle — and so few are ever recycled — and they are seldom reused,” she said. “Instead, they have contributed to California’s growing plastic waste.”

SB 1053 passed the Senate on a 30-7 vote and now moves to the Assembly for consideration.

The state Assembly’s Health Committee advanced Assembly Bill 2200 this week. The bill would ban private health insurance and force all state residents into “CalCare,” a government-run health plan. Nine Democrats voted aye, four Republicans voted no, and three Democrats abstained. 

The measure now heads to the Appropriations Committee. But AB 2200’s odds of becoming law are still long. The state simply can’t afford the hundreds of billions of dollars it would cost each and every year. 

That’s a good thing, because single payer invariably results in long waits for subpar care.

Single payer has been a hobbyhorse of California Democrats for years. In 2017, the California Senate gave the thumbs-up to a similar single-payer bill. But then-Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon refused to move it forward in his own chamber, because the law had no mechanism to cover its staggering $400 billion annual price tag. In 2022, another single-payer bill died in the Assembly before it could go to a vote. 

We’re experiencing déjà vu all over again. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas recently expressed “concern” about the state’s ability to pay for AB 2200, especially given that California currently faces an estimated $73 billion budget deficit.  

The funding plan for AB 2200 is fantasy. The bill’s supporters are banking on a waiver from the federal government that would allow the state to divert all the money it uses for Medicare and Medicaid into this new “CalCare” scheme.

It’s highly unlikely Washington would accede to such a request. Even if it did, AB 2200 would still require a raft of tax hikes on businesses and households across the state. Prior efforts to impose single payer have proposed new gross receipts taxes on business revenues, payroll taxes on employers, and much higher marginal tax rates on households. 

Two years ago, the projection was that state tax revenue would have to double — and the average household’s taxes would soar by $12,250.

According to a new study from my Pacific Research Institute colleague Wayne Winegarden, such tax increases would have dire economic ramifications. Just five years after implementation, single payer would cause California’s economy to be nearly 3% smaller and have 332,000 fewer jobs than otherwise expected. Average household incomes would be $1,200 lower.

Democratic Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo commented during the hearing that it’s really not debatable today that single payer saves money. She apparently has some reading to do.

Then there’s the devastating impact single payer would have on patients. One need only look to Canada and the United Kingdom to see what government-dominated health care looks like in practice. 

The median wait in Canada for specialist treatment following referral by a general practitioner is more than six months. As of January, nearly 7.6 million people in England were on waiting lists to see a doctor. 

To keep a lid on costs, CalCare would slash reimbursement rates for physicians. That would prompt doctors to flee to other states. Democratic Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, a medical doctor, expressed concern that the bill’s payment rates would not be sufficient to keep doctors in California — or attract new ones. “We already have a provider shortage, and if we don’t do this correctly, we’ll just worsen that,” Weber said.

Speaker Rivas seems to understand all this. He’s called single payer a “tough, tough sell, especially in a budget climate that we are experiencing now.” 

The Assembly Appropriations Committee will eventually have to acknowledge that math. So the political conventional wisdom is that the Appropriations Committee will be the end of the line for single payer this time.

Under this scenario, AB 2200’s progressive supporters will still get to crow that they are fighting for single payer. Establishment Democrats — including Gov. Gavin Newsom — won’t have to take a position on a controversial bill during an election year. 

The losers, of course, are ordinary Californians, who can be forgiven for wondering why their elected officials are wasting time on pipe dreams like single payer — rather than addressing things that actually affect their lives, like the state’s high cost of living and lack of affordable housing.

Sally C. Pipes is president, CEO, and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute. Her latest book is False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All (Encounter 2020). Follow her on X at @sallypipes.

Assemblymember Akilah Weber held a strong 59.3% lead Tuesday in the race for state Senate, while Carl DeMaio, Kristie Bruce-Lane and Colin Parent were leading in races for open Assembly seats.

Incumbents Tasha Boerner in the 77th District and David Alvarez in the 80th District held commanding leads, while Chris Ward in the 78th District was unopposed.

Weber, a Democrat who is the daughter of Secretary of State Shirley Weber, will face Republican Bob Divine, who was at 40.7%, in the district currently represented by Toni Atkins, who is termed out and running for Governor.

DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilmember and congressional candidate, was leading with 43.9% to Democrat Kevin Juza’s 19.0% in the sprawling 75th District in East County.

In the 76th District, Bruce-Lane, a Republican businesswoman who ran unsuccessfully in 2022, had 50.2% to Democrat Darshana Patel, a Poway School Board member, at 32.1%.

In the79th District, La Mesa City Councilman Colin Parent, a Democrat, was leading Lemon Grove Mayor Racquel Vasquez by 40.4% to 31.8%.

“The race is far from over, and I am committed to continue my conversations with voters around the district and to find solutions for our communities biggest challenges,” said Parent on X. “With their continued support, I know we can and we will!”

Updated at 7:45 a.m., Wednesday, March 6, 2024

The March 5 presidential primary is today, Tuesday, March 5. All San Diego County residents should have received their mail ballot. The top of the ballot probably won’t be a surprise, but less well known candidates have filed to run in numerous local races.

Here’s a rundown of the key races and candidates statewide and in San Diego County.

President

It’s no secret that 2024 will likely be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former former President Donald Trump, with the latter all but claiming he has already won the nomination. But there is one other very determined Republican candidate — South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley. There are also a number of independent candidates, like Jill Stein for the Green Party and Cornel West for the Peace and Freedom Party.

You must be a registered Republican to vote in that party’s California primary. Both Democrats and those with no party affiliation can vote in the Democratic primary, though nonpartisans will need to have requested a Democratic ballot in advance. Rules for the minor parties vary.

Much about this key race has been subject change based on earlier caucuses and primaries, and wildcards like the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump cannot be listed as a candidate because his incitement of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol violated the post-Civil War Insurrection Act.

Senate

Because long-time Sen. Dianne Feinstein died in office, voters will be asked to chose both a temporary officer holder and one for a new six-year term. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler of EMILY’s List, but she has declined to seek a full term. So, one vote is for a candidate to serve about two months from November to January, and the second for a full six years.

There are dozens of candidates on the ballot, but the leading contenders are three Democrats — Reps. Adam Schiff, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee — and Republican Steve Garvey. Schiff earned nationwide name recognition as a Congressional opponent of Donald Trump, while Porter and Lee are known for their progressive positions. Gaza has emerged as a Democratic divide, with Schiff a strong supporter of Israel while Porter and Lee call for a ceasefire. Garvey is a political newcomer who played baseball for both the Dodgers and Padres. He has been criticized for his past support of Trump.

Under California’s “jungle primary” system, the top two candidates in the primary advance to the general election in November, so many of the primary races are about second place as much as first.

House of Representatives

Democrats now dominate in the county’s five-member Congressional delegation, with Rep. Darrell Issa in conservative East County the only Republican. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t Republican challengers.

Three-term Rep. Mike Levin, whose 49th District encompasses north coastal San Diego and south Orange counties, faces four Republican contenders as that party makes an effort to win back the changing district. Matt Gunderson, an OC auto dealer, is running for the second time, along with former General Motors executive Sheryl Adams; businesswoman and nonprofit founder Margareta Wilkinson; and businesswoman and Fox News commentator Kate Monroe.

The 49th was Issa’s district until he temporarily retired in 2018 amid backlash over his support for Donald Trump. Then in 2020 he won in former Rep. Duncan Hunter’s 48th District. He faces a number of Democratic challengers, the best known of whom is former Santee City Councilman Stephen Houlahan, who ran against Issa in 2022.

Rep. Sara Jacobs, a young, rising star in Democrat politics, faces Republican Bill Wells, the mayor of El Cajon, and independent Stan Caplan in the 51st District in central San Diego County. Jacobs serves on both the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees and has been outspoken in support of women’s reproductive rights in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Rep. Scott Peters in the 50th District along the coast and Rep. Juan Vargas in the 52nd District along the border face only token opposition.

State Senate

Sen. Toni Atkins, who made history as the first woman to serve as both Speaker of the Assembly and President Pro Tem of the Senate, is termed out. Vying to succeed her in the coastal 39th District is Democratic Assemblymember Akilah Weber, an obstetrician at Rady Children’s Hospital. She previously served on the La Mesa City Council and is the daughter of Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

This seat was originally sought by former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, before his resignation in disgrace over an affair with a Metropolitan Transit System employee, and he was expected to be a shoo-in. Weber faces two challengers, neither of whom have political experience, or even a campaign website.

State Assembly

Term limits mean there are only three incumbents running for re-election this year, but many of the new candidates are well-know from previous elections.

Carl DeMaio, a right-wing Republican and former San Diego City Councilmember who ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice, has filed for the 75th District seat now held by Marie Waldron, who is termed out. The conservative district stretches from roughly Interstate 15 to the Imperial County line. Challenging DeMaio are teacher Christie Dougherty, business owner Jack Fernandes, retired revenue officer and  founder and leader of Fallbrook Climate Action Team founder Joy Frew, Lakeside school board member Andrew Hayes and small-business owner Kevin Juza, a Democrat.

The 76th District in North County was long held by Brian Maienschein, who made news by switching from the Republican to Democratic parties after Trump’s election. Now he’s termed out and running for San Diego City Attorney. Republican businesswoman Kristie Bruce-Lane is trying again to win the seat after a narrow loss in 2022. Her Democratic challengers are Joseph Rocha, an noted LGBTQ activist who served in both the Navy and Marine Corps, and Darshana Patel, an research scientist and Poway school board member. Patel has received widespread endorsements from top Democratic Party office holders, including Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and county Supervsior Monica Montgomery Steppe.

The 79th District, which is open because Assemblymember Akilah Weber is running for state Senate, also has a number of new hopefuls. They are attorney Colin Parent, who heads affordable housing promoter Circulate San Diego and serves on the La Mesa City Council, National City Mayor Raquel Vasquez and Lashae Sharp-Collins, an educator and former district director for Shirley Weber.

Assemblymember Chris Ward in the 78th District in central San Diego is unopposed, while Tasha Boerner in the coastal 77th District and David Alvarez in the 80th district in the South Bay face only token challengers.

Superior Court

There are four judicial offices on the ballot, but in two the candidates are running unopposed. The San Diego County Bar Association rates all candidates as “exceptionally qualified.”

In office 41, Deputy District Atty. Brian Erickson, who is currently handling cold-case homicides, faces Asst. Atty. Gen. Jodi Cleesattle, a 2021 Public Lawyer of the Year and well-known community volunteer. Both have numerous endorsements, with District Atty. Summer Stephan backing Erickson and City Atty. Mara Elliott supporting Cleesattle.

The contenders for Office 43 are Valerie Summers, a prosecutor with significant support from local law enforcement, and Koryn Sheppard, an attorney specializing in family law who is backed by the local Democratic Party.

Board of Supervisors

After years of control by mostly male Republicans, a majority of the county’s five-member governing board is female and Democratic. Three incumbents are up for re-election in 2024.

Terra Lawson-Remer faces a high-profile challenge from former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer in her coastal swing district, but Chairwoman Nora Vargas has only token opposition from Republican plumbing contractor Alejandro Galacia in the South Bay.

Republican Joel Anderson also has token opposition in North County from Gina Jacobs, a Democrat and San Diego State University administrator.

San Diego Mayor

Mayor Todd Gloria is seeking a second four-year term. His first has been distinguished by strong support for new housing development, a commitment to repaving streets and fixing other infrastructure, as well as an effort to get tough with homeless camping. He has widespread endorsements, from the Chamber of Commerce and Building Industry Association to many labor unions and virtually all of the Democratic power structure, from Gov. Gavin Newsom down. He has also been a visible symbol of San Diego in Washington.

But Gloria still faces four challengers in the primary: former progressive candidate for district attorney Geneviéve Jones-Wright, former City Council candidate Jane Glasson, real estate professional and frequent candidate Dan Smiechowski, and San Diego Police officer Larry Turner.

San Diego City Attorney

This is shaping up to be one of the most contested local races, with termed-out Assemblyman Brian Mainenschein challenging Chief Deputy City Atty. Heather Ferbert. Ferbert has been endorsed by her boss and predecessor, Mara Elliott, but Mainenschein is backed by Mayor Todd Gloria, most of the City Council, and key labor unions. Ferbert questioned Mainenschein’s eligibility because his law license had been on “inactive” status, but an outside legal counsel hired by the city ruled in his favor.

San Diego City Council

Five City Council incumbents are up for re-election, but only two face challengers. There’s also a special election to fill the seat held by Monica Montgomery-Steppe, who was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November.

The District 4 special election to fill Montgomery-Steppe’s remaining term has three candidates following Rev. Shane Harris’ withdrawal from the field this week. Montgomery-Steppe’s chief of staff, Henry Foster III is running, along with county executive assistant Tylisa Suseberry and mayoral aide Chida Warren-Darby.

District 3 is the most contested regular election seat, with incumbent Stephen Whitburn facing three challengers. They are neighborhood activist Kate Callen, trial attorney and LGBTQ+ activist Coleen Cusack, and small business owner Ellis California Jones III. Callen seeks a “neighborhoods first” approach to new housing construction, Cusack describes herself as “not your typical politician,” and Jones seeks to reduce crime and help local businesses.

Whitburn serves as chair of the Metropolitan Transit System board. He has been a backer of affordable housing development, and proposed the city ordinance that now bans homeless camping when shelter beds are available.

In District 9, City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera faces two challengers, retired police officer Terry Hoskins and local business owner Fernando Garcia. Elo-Rivera has generally backed housing development across San Diego, while both of his challengers seek to protect the character of communities, and specifically oppose implementation of controversial Senate Bill 10, which would allow up to 10 units to be constructed on single-family lots near transit.

Incumbent Joe LaCava in District 1, Marni Von Wilpert in District 5, and Raul Campillo in District 7 are running unopposed.

Proposition 1

This measure would authorize the state to issue $6.38 billion in bonds to fund construction of mental health treatment centers and housing for the homeless. Backers, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, cite the closure of California’s mental hospitals 50 years ago as one of the reasons for today’s homeless crisis. Opponents point to the cost and worry that existing mental health programs will be undermined.

Measure A

This San Diego ballot measure would amend the city charter to allow the city auditor and audit committee to use outside legal counsel instead of the elected city attorney. The measure was approved 5-3 by the City Council over objections from City Atty. Mara Elliott.

Updated at 6:45 a.m., March 5, 2024

San Diego Assemblymember Chris Ward announced Tuesday that he will join other state legislators in seeking to repeal parts of a controversial law that would base electric rates in part on residents’ annual income.

Assembly Bill 205, which  passed in 2023, directed the California Public Utilities Commission to create an income-based fixed charge, potentially resulting in higher energy bills for some Californians. 

“Throughout the fall recess period, I repeatedly heard from a wide group of my constituents their concerns about AB 205 and other issues that are contributing to unfair costs and rates,” said Ward, a Democrat who represents the 78th District.

Ward said he and other legislators will seek to strike portions of the law that set in motion an income-based fixed charge.

Senate Republicans sought an immediate vote on Tuesday to repeal the law, but the issue was tabled by the Democratic majority for future hearings on specific legislation in the Assembly.

Ward said he believes the underlying ideas in AB 205 are “a first step in the right direction to deliver relief to working families and middle-income Californians” but that solutions are complex.

Under the plan, a monthly flat fee would rise with income, with actual usage charged on top of that, but at a lower rate than at present. Utilities view the flat rate plan as an equitable way to cover the cost of transformers, transmission lines, billing and customer service as high-income customers transition to all-electric homes and cars powered by solar panels.

Carl DeMaio is reviving former California Gov. Pete Wilson’s anti-immigration rhetoric in his bid for a state Assembly seat in East County.

DeMaio, a former San Diego City Councilmember who ran unsuccessfully for Congress, released a television ad Monday that includes portions of one of Wilson’s own ads from 1994.

“Gov. Peter Wilson was right,” DeMaio said in a tweet introducing the spot.

“CA Democrats and liberal media blame Gov. Wilson and his strong position against illegal immigration for Republicans losing seats since 1994. I disagree…”

Wilson backed Proposition 187, which would have denied many services to undocumented immigrants, and won reelection as Governor. The proposition was later ruled unconstitutional.

Political observers credit Wilson’s rhetoric and the proposition with tipping the state toward the Democratic Party, which now boasts supermajorities in both the Assembly and state Senate and holds all executive offices.

Nonetheless, DeMaio said he believes his position on controlling the border will resonate well with Latino voters.

“I believe that Latinos are with us on immigration and Democrats have been bamboozled by the liberal media,” he told the national website Politico.

DeMaio is running in the 75th Assembly District, which is currently represented by Marie Waldron, who is termed out.

Former San Diego city councilman and two-time congressional candidate Carl DeMaio said Thursday he will seek the East County state Assembly seat held by fellow Republican Marie Waldron, who is termed out.

DeMaio, 49, announced his campaign on KUSI, the conservative-leaning independent station that was bought by the Texas-based owner of Fox 5 San Diego earlier this year.

“Tune in now to KUSI! I am on discussing the launch of my campaign for CA State Assembly with a mission to Reform California!” he tweeted just before the morning segment.

The 75th District encompasses most of East County from Interstate 15 and Route 125 east to the Imperial County line.

Waldron, a former Assembly minority leader, will complete her fifth and final term in 2024. Five others also are potential candidates: teacher Christie Dougherty, business owner Jack Fernandes, retired revenue officer and  founder and leader of Fallbrook Climate Action Team founder Joy Frew, Lakeside school board member Andrew Hayes and small-business owner Kevin Juza, a Democrat.

DeMaio said he would quit his political talk show on KOGO 600-AM. But he will remain as chairman of Reform California, a political action committee that is “dedicated to holding state and local government accountable.”

The group has challenged California’s gas tax and called for voter IDs to prevent what it alleges is widespread election fraud.

In a fundraising email, DeMaio said his decision was part of larger strategic move at Reform California.

“I can and will remain as chairman of Reform California,” he said. “Nothing changes there and all of our campaigns (Protect Prop 13, CA Voter ID, RCA Voter Guide, etc.) continue full steam ahead.”

But he announced he would “have to step down” from his daily radio show on AM-600 KOGO — though he would continue the show daily on digital platforms.

“My decision to run is 100% driven by my frustration with the inability of unwillingness of current elected CA Republican politicians to mount an effective fight against the Super-Majority held by CA Democrats,” his letter added.

“Put simply, something HAS to change in the CA Republican Party and we need fresh and aggressive new leadership to fix the problems on our side.

“Third, I’m not running by myself. We have recruited and endorsed a slate of candidates who pledge to be part of the REFORM CALIFORNIA CAUCUS in the Legislature to shake things up. We need a team of fighters to turn this state around — and I’ll be sharing more on that effort soon!”

On Wednesday, California Globe quoted San Diego area pollster Jennifer Lopez as saying: “DeMaio comes in as a name candidate and one who really wants to upend things for Republicans, which many GOP members in the state have been begging candidates to do for years.

“DeMaio will mainly have to worry about Hayes, who is liked by the party and currently holds public office on that school board. That may hurt DeMaio, but Hayes does not have the same kind of access to the media that DeMaio has either.”

“DeMaio needs to be scandal free and come up with a solid plan for the Assembly, namely, what he wants to do at the local level. He’s said what he wants to do party-wise, but ultimately, this comes down to what he can do for the people in the district. He comes up with a good plan there and he stays on point, DeMaio may be heading to Sacramento.”

Updated at 4:28 p.m. Dec. 7, 2023

Who’s up and who’s down? When the news broke before Thanksgiving that new Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas picked new committee chairpersons and canned others, the Sacramento political sphere was immediately abuzz with talk of winners and losers.

The winners include Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the Davis Democrat who was named Assembly majority leader, and Encino Democrat Jesse Gabriel, who is taking over the budget committee, though at a time of budget deficits. He’s replacing Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco, who said that the eight state budgets he helped put together have boosted California’s efforts on child care, climate change and access to higher education and healthcare.

An apparent loser: Culver City’s Isaac Bryan, kicked from the majority leader position to be made chairperson of the Natural Resources committee, who noted that the switch left the new speaker’s inner leadership circle devoid of Black members.

But there’s another big victor to emerge from Rivas’ late-night reorg: YIMBYs.

Yes In My Backyard activists — who promote legislation meant to make it easier to build housing of all kinds, even if that comes at the expense of local control over development decisions — have been on a winning streak this year. 

The chorus of lawmakers willing to argue that the state doesn’t face a housing shortage, or that the state need not get involved has dwindled in recent years. By the end of the most recent legislative session, with Rivas at the helm of the Assembly, the Legislature passed an array of bills that fast-track “any flavor of affordable housing you could possibly want to build.”

This latest round of appointments puts an exclamation point on that trend heading into the 2024 session. By elevating aggressively pro-housing members and demoting those who are less so, Rivas seems to be laying the institutional groundwork for an aggressively pro-housing legislature next year. 

“Speaker Rivas has been consistent in his leadership on housing and also his desire to make the Legislature a place that passes more transformative housing policy,” Matthew Lewis, a spokesperson for California YIMBY, said today. “From our perspective these committee assignments pretty much reflect that.”

Some of the appointments, he added, are “about as good as it gets,” Lewis added.

Topping the list of changes that pro-development activists are likely to be thankful for: San Diego Democrat Chris Ward is the new chairperson of the Assembly’s housing committee. 

Ward will be replacing Oakland Democrat Buffy Wicks, who is about as reliable a pro-housing legislator as one can find in the Legislature. But Wicks was an ardent Rivas backer and instrumental whip during his tumultuous play for the speakership position last year and her promotion to a higher position was assumed. But by swapping Wicks for Ward, Rivas is maintaining that committee’s predictable pro-density course.

Ward’s selection may send an additionally potent pro-housing signal. Last year, he introduced a strikingly ambitious bill that would have prioritized dense urban development while putting a cap on sprawl across the state. The idea went down in flames, torched in part by builders’ lobby. This appointment suggests that Rivas isn’t inclined to punish Ward for his overreach. 

Wicks, in the meantime, was given the top spot on the powerful appropriations committee. 

In the Legislature, where virtually every bill with a price tag has to go before “approps” and where the chairperson has virtually unchecked power to pass, gut or kill bills without any of the normal checks that hamstring less chairs, that in itself is yet more good news for YIMBYs and their allies. 

But Wick’s ascension is also a notable change for the committee. Current chairperson Chris Holden, a Democrat from Pasadena, has been a reliable ally of organized labor and defender of tenant rights, but has also been more likely than Wicks to safeguard local control over development decisions. Rivas is removing Holden from the committee entirely. Unlike the other committee appointments that take effect immediately, this switch takes effect Jan. 22.

Over at the transportation committee, the elevation of first-term Suisun Democrat Lori Wilson bodes well for proponents of dense development near public transit hubs. Before joining the Legislature, Wilson was director of finance for the national homebuilding company, KB Homes.

Even the apparent demotion of Bryan from Assembly majority leader to mere chairperson of the Natural Resources committee carries significant implications for state housing policy. Earlier this year, that committee’s chairperson, Arleta Democrat Luz Rivas, used her post to temper density-boosting bills along the coast and limit the scope of legislation that will let religious institutions build housing more easily. 

Bryan, a member of the Assembly renters’ caucus, is widely expected to be less of a YIMBY antagonist, especially when it comes to bills that boost affordable housing.

Bryan’s successor as majority leader, Aguiar-Curry, was appointed by Rivas as speaker pro tem in July. In a statement, she said she shares Rivas’s “commitment to collaboration” with all Assemblymembers, the Senate and the Newsom administration. 

But Aguiar-Curry clashed with the Newsom administration after the governor vetoed her bill to require a human back-up driver in autonomous big rigs. “Calling this proposal a ban is a disheartening mischaracterization of the intent and process outlined in the bill,” she said in a statement.   

Crime and Conflict of Interest

The leadership shuffle among Assembly Democrats was expected after Rivas took over from Anthony Rendon on June 30, following a negotiated handover. 

And some moves were telegraphed: Assembly Democrats got caught in the crossfire in July when the Public Safety committee held a bill to increase penalties for child sex trafficking. Rivas intervened, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the committee reversed itself. The bipartisan bill became law — a departure from Democrats’ general goal of reducing incarceration.   

Now, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Los Angeles Democrat who became a focal point of the criticism, is losing his leadership of the committee. 

The new Public Safety chairperson: Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, a Sacramento Democrat who has been leading education committees and who supported Rendon. He pledged “balanced and common sense policies” on crime. 

In a statement, Rivas thanked Jones-Sawyer “for his work to bring needed reforms to our  justice system,” but also said “Californians have a right to be safe in their homes and on their streets.” Last month, Rivas appointed a select committee to tackle the surge in high-profile smash-and-grab retail crimes.  

In another noteworthy move, Assemblymember Mia Bonta of Oakland is out as chairperson of the Budget subcommittee on public safety after questions were raised about conflict of interest because her husband is Attorney General Rob Bonta. She eventually recused herself from decisions affecting his budget.

Her consolation prize: Leadership of the Health Committee, where she’ll take over from Assemblymember Jim Wood, who gets to be speaker pro tem in his final session, since he’s already announced he isn’t seeking reelection next year. 

While Rivas is elevating many of his supporters, he maintained that Assembly Democrats are not divided heading into an election year when all 80 seats are on the ballot.

“The Assembly is unified and ready to deliver,” Rivas said in a statement. “That’s what Californians expect from their Legislature and that’s what this team will achieve.”

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

Former State Assemblyman Howard Wayne died Thursday on his 75th birthday at Scripps Green Hospital after lapsing into a coma, his wife, Mary Lundberg, announced Saturday.

Plans were being made for a private burial service and for a subsequent celebration of Wayne’s life and accomplishments, she said.

Wayne served in the state Assembly for three terms — from 1996 to 2002 — and thereafter returned to his job as an assistant state attorney general focusing on consumer fraud.

After retirement, he continued in public service and was a member of the San Diego County Grand Jury when he took ill. He made an unsuccessful run for the San Diego City Council in 2010.

Wayne’s parents, William and Blanche Wayne, were among the early members of Congregation Beth Tefilah, which later merged with Congregation Adat Ami to become the Ohr Shalom Synagogue. William Wayne was a partner with Holocaust survivor Lou Dunst in the Logan Department Store.

A lifelong Democrat, Wayne served on the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee. He volunteered in many Democratic campaigns, among them the recently successful judgeship bid by former Chula Vista Councilman Tim Nader.

Along with his wife, Mary, he traveled in 2006 to South Africa to help the post-apartheid government establish a new legal system.

While in the Assembly, Wayne served as chairman of the Natural Resources Committee and the select Committee on Biotechnology. One of the bills he shepherded into law was to require testing for pollutants caused by runoff along the San Diego County coastline.

He was an opponent of integrating recycled sewage into the city’s water supply, deriding such proposals as “toilet-to-tap” schemes.

In a 1998 interview, Wayne recalled that he was in the slowest reading group in elementary school, but after working with his mother, he excelled at reading and was able to skip a grade.

He entered San Diego State University at age 15, eventually serving as president there of the College Young Democrats. Following graduation, he enrolled at the University of San Diego Law School, where he became an editor of its law review. He joined the state Attorney General’s Office in 1973

He dated his interest in politics to age 11, when a maternal uncle, Hank Freedman, took him one night to the galleries of the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, when John F. Kennedy was nominated for president.

Young Wayne followed the presidential election closely, watching the televised debate between Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

“I knew state by state what electoral votes were: I could make a reasonable guess how they would come out, and one of my happiest days was when JFK won,” he said.

At a meeting of the Kensington College Democratic Club in 1982, he met Lundberg, a former Peace Corps worker in Sierra Leone, who had come to San Diego to head the Peace Corps recruitment office here.

After cuts were made in that program by President Ronald Reagan, she enrolled in law school at the University of California Davis, prompting a long-distance romance. They were married in 1988.

She went to work in the U.S. Attorney’s office. Theirs was a marriage of a Catholic and a Jew — an intermarriage that Wayne said could not have worked if either of them had strong feelings on religious matters. They had no children, with Wayne suggesting that the time for raising a family had passed them by.

Wayne’s interest in politics led him to actively campaign in San Diego in 1988 for having members of the City Council elected by district rather than citywide.

In 1990, Wayne ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat vacated by Lucy Killea when she succeeded Larry Stirling in the state Senate. He was defeated by Mike Gotch.

In 1996, Dede Alpert vacated her Assembly seat in a successful effort to succeed Killea in the state Senate. That opened a path for Wayne’s victory, in which he defeated Republican Tricia Hunter.

While in the state Assembly, Wayne was named alumnus of the year by Hoover High School.

Speaking to the students there, he said: “They had a great public school in San Diego and I was fighting in the Legislature to make public colleges affordable because I wanted them to have opportunity.

“I also told them two things. One, when you get that achievement, you have an obligation to make sure that the ladder of opportunity is there for those who are after you.”

In a football analogy, he said he also told them “their teachers were coaches, their parents and grandparents were cheerleaders, and they were on the field and were the captains of their team. It was really on their shoulders to take advantage of this and use the opportunity.”

Wayne’s survivors, in addition to his wife, include a brother Robert, an attorney in Seattle, Washington, and a large extended family.

Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. A version of this report originally appeared in San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association.