ADVOCACY REPORT
That’s a Wrap:
Legislature Adjourns
and Elections Heat Up
On Friday, August 30 the legislature
gaveled down and formally
adjourned the two-year legislative
cycle by the constitutional “sine or
die” deadline of midnight. The close
of this session marks the ending of
Jerry Brown’s historic fourth term
as Governor. His legacy will be
marked by his driving brand of
environmentalism that prioritized
the issue of climate change, often
at odds with the agricultural and
business communities. He will also
be remembered for being a voice
of temperance and fiscal restraint
to his fellow Democrats — both at
the beginning of his first term while
in the belly of the Great Recession
towards this year when the
economy had fully recovered. And
now all eyes turn towards the mid-
term elections, with both state and
federal candidates running against
each other. The stakes are high in
both state and federal races.
While top of the ticket races
like U.S. Senate and governor
are all but certain to be won
by Democrats (there is not one
Republican candidate in the Senate
race between Dianne Feinstein
and Kevin De León), in a number
of congressional races California
could well decide which party
controls power in Washington.
Many districts from the Central
Valley down to the Inland Empires
will play a major role in determining
whether Kevin McCarthy or Nancy
Pelosi becomes the next Speaker of
the House.
Democrats need to pick up 24
seats from Republicans to win
back the House for the first time
since 2010. About half a dozen of
the nation’s most closely-watched
seats are in California, with two in
the Central Valley. If Republicans
retain control, it will be a big
win for Congressman McCarthy
(R-Bakersfield), who is a candidate
to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker.
If they lose, it could mean a return
to the Speaker’s office for Nancy
Pelosi despite calls from some in
her party to step aside for a new
generation.
A looming question for pollsters is
if our country’s increasingly divisive
politics are beginning to change
voter attitudes and registration. The
California Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) recently released
the results of its voter registration
services since April 2018, and
the data shows that three out of
five previously unregistered voters
chose “No Party Preference”
(NPP) rather than identify with an
established party. Both Democrat
and Republican parties lost over a
third of previously registered voters
to NPP status. Although this data
is limited to voters who registered
through the DMV over the course of
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A L M O N D F A C T S
