Cavala: “Pro Tem Steinberg” Reflects Well On The Senate

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

In my years with the State Assembly I used to manage Democratic campaigns off the payroll. One of my political responsibilities was to interview prospective candidates and report judgments back to the Assembly Democratic Caucus. I spoke with easily more than 100 such candidates over the years.

While all had some memorable trait (not all of them good ones), the one that always sticks out in my mind is the new President pro Tempore of the State Senate, Darrell Steinberg. I asked him why he was running for the office, and instead of the usual, generalized answer he responded with a specific set of things he wanted to accomplish in the field of mental health.

We had lost Bruce Bronzan to the private sector a few years earlier, and Bruce had been the first Member since Republican Frank Lanterman in the 1970’s to show an interest in mental health. I mentioned this to Steinberg and that the field was ‘wide open’ for him.

And, of course, Steinberg did take command of that field. His first bill, AB 34, led to a statewide initiative expanding community based mental health services.

This isn’t the kind of legislative service that gets you flashy press stories or awards you big contributions. But it is noticed by your peers and colleagues over time.

Everyone in the Capitol Community is subject to more or less gossip – gossip that develops into a reputation that defines who you are – for better or for worse. The book on Steinberg is that he’s a serious policy guy who’ll work hard at solving tangled public problems like mental health services.

That he was chosen by our Senators to lead them in the years to come is a credit to his hard work and to their good judgment.

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 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. He now manages election campaigns for Democratic candidates.

Comments

Posted by: Dr.Frank Parnell at August 22, 2008 05:21 PM

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