I just returned from a publishers’ conference in Sacramento, where a group of legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle laid out their thoughts and it’s clear there are several things weighing heavily on their minds. The school shooting in Florida seems to have hit a deep chord and our legislature is ready to act. It’s not yet clear where they want to go but you can feel the momentum building, even among the second amendment folks. They figure that neither the president nor Congress is going to do anything so it’s up to them.
But the big issue that strikes closest to home for all of them is the sexual harassment charges leveled at some members and staffers. So far, two assemblymen have resigned and, just this week, a state senator also resigned. Another assembly member, this time a woman, has taken a leave of absence and everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Many years ago, I worked as a legislative staffer after law school and my impression was that it was a very testosterone-driven place, which means every elected and high-level staffer felt entitled. Now, the game has changed and they all feel very vulnerable. In the current climate, if anyone, or a couple of “anyones,” level a charge, the legislators are pretty much toast and they all know it. They’re trying to work out a system to protect both the victims and accused, but it turns out to be tougher than you might think. Accusations run from an unwanted hug to sexual liaisons gone bad to rape, and it’s difficult to draft some rules that fit all the situations, especially in the supercharged media environment of today.
Since they are all still politicians, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is the question of who is going to be the next governor; the primary, which will choose the top two candidates, is fast approaching on Tuesday, June 5. For the last eight years, California has been very stable with an experienced, termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown at the helm, but all that changes as of the November election.
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Arriving back at LAX from Sacramento, we had sort of a strange experience. We were waiting near the baggage carousel for our bags to come down. There was a group of police officers, in uniform and armed, with the word “police” on their shirts. Then, I noticed Homeland Security patches on their shirts and whether that meant immigration officers (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—or ICE) or not I don’t know. They appeared to be waiting for something or someone who hadn’t arrived yet. But the strange part is that no one went near them; there was constantly a space around them in a rather crowded area. You could almost smell the public hostility surrounding them. They looked casual but they appeared almost embarrassed. Most Californians appeared opposed to our immigration policy from Washington and it’s got to be very difficult to be ICE in this state.
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As you can see from today’s Malibu Times, hundreds of very upset and committed local young people marched against guns, gun violence and the inability of the elected to do anything about it. The same thing is happening across the nation and the issue has momentum—for now. If this is just a “one time, one issue” response, as is often the case with young people, it won’t mean much. But if they organize, stay organized and get involved in this election—ringing doorbells, talking to voters about their fears for their own safety—it may well resonate significantly in some of the congressional races in California. Historically, National Rifle Association (NRA) voters turn out, go to the polls and are very committed. Like it or not, they care deeply about their guns and any restrictions on gun ownership. The only way to combat that is to work the election, give money, walk the precincts and pass out the materials, and ultimately, help people get to the polls with a goal to dumping some NRA-supporting, incumbent Congress members. Politicians are pragmatic people. If they see some incumbents go down and begin to think of NRA support as an anchor around their necks, they will back off and be much more amenable to gun control.
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It looks like our water shortage is back and the prediction that we were over it seems to have been a little premature. Odds are the state is going to be reimposing water rationing of some sorts; look for Malibu green areas to get a lot browner. We are well behind the normal rainfall for this time of year and even though a large storm is predicted for later this week, it may be too little too late. This time, I hope they just stick with rationing. It’s hard to turn the program on and then off, and then on again. People stop believing the government or get confused. What we most certainly do need in Malibu is more water storage tanks, just in case.