By Aurelio Rojas
Sacramento Bee
February 17, 2008
Fellow Democrats on Feb. 7 designated Sen. Darrell
Steinberg to be the next leader of the California Senate.
Steinberg, 48, will take over in November under a
timeline established by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata.
Steinberg will be the first Sacramentan to hold the top
leadership post in the Senate in 125 years.
In an interview last week, the Bay Area transplant said
he looks forward to the challenge.
Q: What kind of legwork did you do to become
Senate president pro tem?
A: I've been working in public service for 15
years. And I have been consistent in the way that I have
approached my work, always trying to focus on the product.
To me, you measure yourself in this business by what you get
done for people. The fact is, I'd worked for years with most
of my colleagues in the Democratic caucus. And while I was a
new senator, I was in my seventh year in the Legislature,
which in the term limits era makes me a grizzled veteran. So
my colleagues know me, we've worked closely together. And I
think my success is built upon those shared experiences.
Q: You've read what's been said about you. Smart,
nice guy, clean. Maybe too nice. Are you tough enough for
the job?
A: Ah, geez. It's become kind of a running joke
– the "nice guy thing." People confuse
"nice" with lack of steel or lack of resolve. If
you look back at my history, before politics, I was a lawyer
for people who were victims of employment discrimination.
And the thing that people miss – and it's awkward to talk
about yourself and your personality – is that I fight. I
fight for what I believe in. And I fight hard. And I will
continue to do so. That's why I'm in this business. Whether
it's for my client. Whether it's for one of my causes.
Whether it's for making the Legislature work more
effectively, I'm a fighter. I'm not afraid of conflict or
confrontation, but I also don't personalize battles. … I
don't take myself too seriously. I'd rather fight with a
smile.
Q: What are you going to do until you become
president pro tem? Are you going to sit at your desk and be
just another member of the Senate?
A: No, no. Sen. Perata and I have a very good
relationship. I'm very comfortable with the situation
because, 1: There can only be one leader at a time. And 2:
We have a good relationship. We're obviously going to be
talking a lot. I want to support him this year. And I've got
plenty to do.
Q: Can you fix a $14.5 billion budget deficit
without new taxes?
A: In the end, I don't think so. We can't cut our
way out of this without really hurting people and the
investments that are so crucial to the quality of life in
California. Look at education. It's not just about money.
The Stanford (University) report from last year talked about
the need to combine reform with more resources. And I agree
with that. We're 46th in the nation in per pupil spending.
School districts are very worried, March 15th is coming –
the time for issuing layoff notices. We're not going to
decimate public education.
Q: What type of taxes do you think can sell in the
Legislature? And how are you going to get Republican votes?
A: I don't know. We're not leading with taxes.
Let's be very clear about that. One of the things, I think,
we all agree upon – we have to cut first. And we have to
show that we're serious about that. When you look at the
differences in ideology between Democrats and Republicans,
the cuts we made (last week) I didn't want to make. We're
not happy about it. It's actually inconsistent with the
motivation that brought many of us, from our side of the
aisle, to public office. But we have to do the responsible
thing here … and so, we are going to cut. Hopefully,
responsibly. I think on the other side of the aisle, we need
a similar mindset over time. I have no illusions about it,
however. I've been here seven years where the issue of tax
increases has come up – we've talked about bridging the
deficit – but there aren't the votes. The system is the
system. I don't think we can wait and rely on it. But I do
think that we have to make the case over time about what
California wants – quality public services. And if we want
them, we have to pay for them.
Q: If you can ever fix the deficit, what would you
like to accomplish?
A: My No. 1 priority – what I think should be
the state's No. 1 priority – is public education. … The
governor and I have a very good relationship – he talks
about the year of education, I think every year should be
the year of education. I have really taken on this issue of
the high school dropout rate, not as the be-all and end-all,
but as sort of an entry point into the broader issue of
education reform. Here would be my vision: I would like us,
for example, to take the emerging green economy and public
education reform and merge them. The governor has talked a
lot about career technical education, which is great. But we
need to bring it to scale. What if, for example, in this
state, we rewarded emerging green industries with help in
capital formation or other parts of their business if they
agree to go into high schools and help educate, apprentice,
provide after-school activities and provide career path
training for young people who otherwise are going to be one
of those statistics?
Q: You could still be president pro tem in 2011
when new legislative voting districts are drawn. Should the
Legislature turn that responsibility over to an independent
commission?
A: I support redistricting reform. … It just
makes sense to take it out of the hands of the
(Legislature), just from a perception point of view. But
beyond that, from a partisan point of view, I don't think
this system is working very well for the causes we believe
in. I would rather have some more competitive seats and take
the chance that our ideas are better than theirs and take
the chance to get to 27 or 28 (Democratic members of the
Senate, compared to 25 right now) … even knowing that
there's a potential we could go to 24 or 23.
Q: Finally, you will become the first president
pro tem from Sacramento since 1883. What does this mean for
residents of the region?
A: I'm very proud to represent a capital city and
the county of the capital. … My job, obviously, will be to
represent the entire state of California. At the same time,
when it comes to issues that matter most to Sacramento –
whether it be flood control, whether it be economic
development, whether it be parks – I can be of help.
Aurelio Rojas - arojas@sacbee.com
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