Republican leader chastises Democratic majority + Rouda calls on Min to drop out of race

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY CONDEMNS TENNESSEE HOUSE

Emotions got a little heated on the Assembly floor Monday, as lawmakers debated a resolution to condemn the GOP-controlled Tennessee State House of Representatives for expelling two Black members last month.

The resolution itself, AJR 5, itself passed 60-0.

But prior to the vote Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Gardena, who authored the resolution, said that the expulsion of Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson for their role in a gun safety protest was a threat to democracy not just in Tennessee but the entire nation. (Both were quickly reinstated by local officials)

“On April 6. 2023, democracy was violated,” Gipson said, adding that Jones and Pearson “were raped” by the expulsion.

Assemblyman Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley, recounted past offenses committed by Tennessee state lawmakers that did not rise to the level of expulsion, including child molestation, urinating on office chairs and illegally prescribing drugs to family members and mistresses.

When Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, rose to speak, he began by denouncing his party members for expelling Jones and Pearson. But then he added that the “lecturing” he was hearing from other assemblymembers about democracy “falls a little flat.”

Much as Jones and Pearson are in the minority party in Tennessee, Republicans comprise a super-minority in the California Legislature. Gallagher accused his Democratic colleagues of using their political power to suppress their speech, denying hearings on GOP legislation on subjects ranging from wildfire prevention to bills to fentanyl trafficking.

“Don’t get up here and preach to me about democracy and talk about other states. The message about Rep. Jones is not just about Tennessee. It’s for you!” Gallagher said forcefully.

The Assembly Republican leader said that he was “about ready to get a megaphone and come onto the floor” for his bills, a reference to the actions that led to Pearson and Jones being expelled, but conceded “that’s not really my style.”

“The bottom line is, if we want to ensure democracy, we better do it right here at home,” Gallagher said. “Do a little soul-searching first before you make this into a day of the panderer.”

FORMER REP. ROUDA CALLS ON MIN TO DROP OUT OF RACE

One prominent Orange County Democrat has broken the silence around State Sen. Dave Min’s DUI arrest a couple weeks back.

No, not Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, whose CA-47 seat Min is running to fill in 2024; Porter has yet to withdraw her endorsement of Min.

It was former Orange County Democratic Congressman Harley Rouda, who on Monday called on Min, D-Irvine, to drop out of the race.

“While we thank Dave Min for his service to the party, with his recent DUI he should immediately withdraw from the race. If it was a Republican candidate who got a DUI, Democrats would demand exactly that. Let’s not be hypocrites...” Rouda said in a statement shared on Twitter.

Rouda himself withdrew from the race for CA-47 this year, citing health issues.

Instead of Min, Rouda is supporting Democratic activist Joanna Weiss, whom Rouda credited with helping break the Republican lock on the region’s congressional seats, also called the“Orange Curtain.”

“The stakes are too high to get this choice wrong and I call on Democrats to rally behind Joanna. Rep. Katie Porter barely won this House district despite outspending her Republican opponent by an unprecedented $23 million. ...This time, we can’t rely on a war chest that big,” Rouda said.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If San Francisco got click bait royalties from this wave of coverage, the City wouldn’t have a budget deficit. San Francisco has real problems — absolutely the case — but this wave of media obsessive negativity is now officially over the top.”

- Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s spokesperson has corrected the “inaccurate” framing of his comments earlier this week in response to approved recommendations by the state’s task force that studied the wrongdoings of slavery and other historical forms of discrimination against Black people, via Marcus D. Smith.

• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest budget moves up the issuance of food benefits for older undocumented Californians after months of criticism from advocates, via Mathew Miranda.

• Elk Grove will fight a state lawsuit alleging the city violated California affordable housing law, council members decided last week, via Darrell Smith.