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Dan Walters suggests the Legislature cut a stick – for him to beat them with
By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento
Liz Hill, the budget analyst is retiring to columns of approbation from the Capitol Press Corps. Dan Walters is the latest to heap praise on Hill.
Walters sets up a false dichotomy between “the right thing to do” and the “politically expedient” thing to do. The “politically expedient” thing is that which voters would prefer to see and which they would reward with further service The “right thing” would be to take action voters oppose – like raising taxes or cutting essential spending.
Funny, I always thought the people should have a voice in this business
Walters is part of the “I know better” caucus. Not answerable to the people, they feel free to castigate politicians forced to pay attention by the election process.
Liz Hill is one of them too. As Walters correctly writes, “Hill’s alternative budget
Had something for every party, every ideology, virtually every budget interest group to dislike”. Walters believes that to be a good thing. (After all, it has no public support).
I don’t agree.
As a long time staffer for the Legislature I never understood why the Analyst provided advice that had no support among her employers. My value was directly related to my utility to my boss (Speakers). Liz was fond of saying that she had “120 bosses”, but the truth is that her advice rarely found support among any of them.
Her real bosses were journalists. Her reports provided grist, and usually a platform from which both houses and both parties in the Legislature could be criticized – as Walters does today.
And the Press Corps has always been quick to protect a “reliable source”. Republican lawmakers who privately snarl at Hill’s suggestion that new taxes are needed (closing tax expenditures in her jargon) say only the kindest things in public - Lest Bob Stern be called in for a neutral quote against them.
With Hill’s retirement it now remains to be seen what role her office will play in the future. Walters sees it as ‘whether to replace her with another independent expert on state finance or a political hack’. Or, to paraphrase, whether to replace her with another source of media stories critical of the Legislature or with someone more sensitive to the requirements of a body elected by voters and in need of realistic counsel.
As a retired member in good standing of the “hacks lobby”, my recommendation is clear.
Bill Cavala was Deputy Director of the Assembly Speaker’s Office of Member Services where he worked for over 30 years.
He attended undergraduate and graduate school in the 1960’s and received a doctorate in political science at UC Berkeley. He taught political science at UC Berkeley during the 1970's while he worked part-time for the State Assembly.
Cavala left teaching at UC Berkeley and went to work for Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1981 until his tenure as Speaker ended in 1995, and he has worked for his five successors as Speaker up to and including Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Mr. Cavala manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.
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