Tale of two Fresno reps: Esmeralda Soria’s power waxes, Joaquin Arambula’s wanes | Opinion

The political tides in Sacramento have shifted, bringing one Fresno-area lawmaker closer to the shore and pushing another further out to sea.

Six months ago, Joaquin Arambula unsuccessfully challenged Assembly colleague Robert Rivas for speaker — or at least publicly pondered doing so — after the Salinas Valley Democrat won an internal power struggle that forced longtime speaker (and Arambula ally) Anthony Rendon to step aside.

The failed coup’s fallout arrived Monday when Rivas, armed with new authority as speaker, booted Arambula from the powerful Assembly Budget Committee. Rivas also removed Arambula from the Health and Human Services budget subcommittee, which oversees roughly a third of the state budget, that Arambula previously chaired under Rendon.

Punishing your enemies and rewarding friends. Power politics at its most elemental and crude.

Which brings us to Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, the former Fresno city councilmember who supported Rivas’ bid for speaker.

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Elected in November 2022, Soria is still learning her way around the state Capitol. However, that newness didn’t stop Rivas from appointing Soria, raised in a poor farmworker family like himself, to chair the Agriculture Committee that helps oversee California’s $50 billion farming industry.

“I’m grateful to Speaker Rivas for entrusting me with the important work of this committee,” Soria said in a news release.

“As the daughter of first-generation immigrants and farmworkers, I worked alongside my parents in the Central Valley agricultural fields, and understand the importance of supporting both our agricultural industry and workers,” she added.

Besides the committee chair post, Rivas also named Soria to the Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for overseeing all fiscal bills including public bonds and alternative public financing.

Yet another plumb assignment for the freshman assemblywoman who in her first year helped secure $140 million in state funding for her district, including $100 million for affordable student housing in Merced and $20 million for Planada flood recovery efforts. (State Sen. Anna Caballero also had a large hand in those big-ticket items.)

Arambula lands $250M for Fresno

Not to be outdone, Arambula helped shepherd $250 million for downtown Fresno infrastructure improvements, green space and parking structures through the state budget process. (Gov. Gavin Newsom and Caballero also played key roles.)

“I’m grateful that Governor Newsom and the Legislature agreed to invest $250 million in downtown Fresno infrastructure improvements over the next three years to boost economic development,” Arambula said in a news release.

“I’ve fought hard for Fresno County and the Central Valley to receive their fair share of resources and am excited to see this one is coming to fruition.”

Fortunately for Fresno, Arambula landed that particular whale before getting his budget committee membership stripped for being on the losing side of a political tug of war.

Liberal Democrats are everywhere in Sacramento. They literally roam the streets in packs. But that doesn’t mean all liberal Democrats are political chums or see eye to eye on everything.

Arambula, who assumed office in 2016, and Soria, in office since January, fit that mold. They are liberal Democrats from separate camps who are in general agreement on issues, though not necessarily 100% aligned.

Here’s an example of what I mean: At the beginning of the previous legislative session, Arambula introduced a bill penned and supported by social justice organizations that proposed adding four new appointed members to the governing board of the Fresno County Transportation Authority.

Just in time for the next Measure C renewal fight.

Soria opposes Arambula bill

The board, as stated by the bill, would be diversified to contain more “inclusive agendas” with an additional focus on climate policy and restorative environmental justice.

Sounds like something all liberal Democrats can agree upon, right?

Actually, no.

In April, the Assembly Committee on Local Government postponed a hearing on AB 558 that was never rescheduled. Meaning the bill died a quick death.

Why? At the time I was told the chair of that committee, Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, required universal support from both Assembly Democrats representing Fresno County in order for the bill to get a hearing and that Soria never came around.

Several people involved in the bill’s crafting were miffed, to say the least. Except when I called Soria for an explanation, she told me plainly she did not support expanding the FCTA board and cited her recent experience as an authority board member during her eight years on the Fresno City Council.

San Joaquin Valley politicians are constantly outnumbered by their counterparts from Los Angeles and the Bay Area. But even though we’d like to think they ought to work together and support each other’s legislative efforts for the betterment of the region, it doesn’t necessarily work that way.

In Sacramento, which side you’re on matters. That applies not just to Democrats and Republicans but to separate factions on the same side of the aisle like Soria and Arambula. As one’s legislative power waxes, the other’s wanes.