The admonition of speaking truth to power is especially significant when the speaker is one of the powerful and the object of his lecture are allies and members of his own tribe. That’s why I believe state treasurer Bill Lockyer should be recognized for his efforts to shame the legislature to get its act together. Lockyer is my runner-up for Californian of the Year.
The man displayed great courage in lecturing the legislature over the state’s fiscal insanity and the need to create an efficient government; railing for public pension reform to a majority party which is supported by those who oppose such reform; and excoriating legislators or all stripes for bringing “junk” bills forward, robbing the legislature of time to face important problems in the state. These lessons must be followed if we are to turn California’s fortunes around.
However, Lockyer makes runner-up for my Californian of the Year because while he put a spotlight on some of the shortcomings in Sacramento, actions taken by state senator Abel Maldonado actually moved the pieces around the great Sacramento chessboard. Maldonado’s actions and ambitions made things happen, some say for good, others say for bad, over the course of the year.
Maldonado’s wheeling and dealing on the state budget ended with a vote to raise taxes, force a special election in May, propose a major policy change with the open-primary measure in the coming June, 2010 election, and moved the debate on how California should be governed. Perhaps it’s a stretch, but you might say his vote also lit the fuse to several recall efforts against other legislators while Senator Maldonado’s status and position was both attacked for being a weak Republican or praised for seeking bi-partisan solutions.
Then came his nomination for Lt. Governor. That set off another whole set of analysis, rebukes and praises in the media and blogosphere on the merits of the appointment, its meaning, and the maneuvering in Sacramento for those who oppose or support it.
While there are a number of people who made their mark in the California political world in 2009, Maldonado’s actions and ambitions seemed to dominate the conversation over the course of the entire year from his February budget vote to his November nomination for Lt. Governor. I nominate Abel Maldonado for the Black Bart Award as Californian of the Year.