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Can the new Problem Solvers Caucus make for better politics in California?

April 28, 2023

That grand American myth of a halcyon time in the not-too-distant past when politicians of all stripes were friendly adversaries who were always collegial and hoisted a sarsaparilla together every evening after the sausage-making was done is probably mostly … a myth.

Surely it is true that Tip O’Neill, say, and Ronald Reagan, when one was the Democratic speaker of the House and the other the Republican president of the United States, had a glass of Irish whiskey, neat, together from time to time and toasted their health and that of the old country.

And, true, we’re guessing the same is not true of Speaker McCarthy and President Biden in the present day.

Since hope springs eternal, Americans can always root for a better political future when lawmakers can at least sometimes solve obvious problems.

Here in California, a small effort to make that happen has existed in Sacramento in the form of the Problem Solvers Caucus.

As CalMatters’ Sameea Kamal reports, “Every other week, the 21 members of the Problem Solvers Caucus gather for lunch to hear presentations on different policies. This session, they’re focusing on clean energy and homelessness — issues they say impact every legislative district in California.”

With the name and the intent based on the group of the same name in Congress, members say they have a “goal of creating a ‘neutral space’ that puts policy before politics.”

Just the very idea of that goal — the representatives we send to the state Capitol meeting together to get stuff done for us, their constituents, first and foremost, rather than toeing some party line that we don’t care a thing about — is music to most Californians’ jaded ears.

We may be — mostly; increasingly less so — registered nominally as either Republicans or Democrats. But few of us go deeply into the weeds of our party’s platforms. We just want economic and social prosperity in California.

More from CalMatters: “Launched in 2021 by then-Assemblymembers Adam Gray, a Democrat from Merced, and Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Chad Mayes, the only independent legislator last session, the caucus includes equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, as well as proportional Assembly and Senate representation, according to Sen. Josh Newman, a co-chairperson and Democrat from Brea.”

One aspect for members of the caucus: “That structure — different from even other bipartisan caucuses — is designed to make it truly impartial. One condition of membership: No one can actively work against another member’s bill.”

Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, a Democrat from Stockton, says working closely with Republican colleagues makes him think more about the fiscal impact of bills, which would be a nice thing for a lot more Sacramento Democrats to ponder now and again.

“You think of a bill — of what it does, and it may be really, really good,” he says. “But … it opens up my eyes more to look not just at the bill, but spend a lot more time on the fiscal part — like what is the cost of the bill? … Is it coming out of the general fund? Is it going to be a tax? So it really brings more awareness.”

California Republicans in the Legislature also have something very real to gain by going bi-partisan: Any hope of having skin in the game whatsoever, given the Democrats’ supermajorities in both the state Senate and the Assembly.

“Based on the policy that’s coming out of the Legislature, it’s pretty clear the progressives are getting their way,” Sen. Scott Wilk of Lancaster said. “So what can I do to be relevant and positively affect the lives of 40 million Californians? I think the best — the only — hope is the Problem Solvers.”

Perhaps, though at least so far the caucus has largely avoided taking on some of the biggest problems in the state. The caucus should be front and center championing sweeping reforms of the California Environmental Quality Act, for example, or working to dismantle wasteful projects like the high-speed rail project.

A big test for what the caucus can achieve may come now that the state is facing a massive budget deficit and will have to actually prioritize spending.

There are plenty of problems to solve. Here’s to hoping the Problem Solvers Caucus is up to the task of solving some of the big ones.

Orange County Register

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Can the new Problem Solvers Caucus make for better politics in California?

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