If ever you wanted a description of what it’s like for a legislator to go up against special interests, the New York Times provides an excellent one here today. That’s why fear has dominated California policy for so long, and it goes well beyond police unions.
The antidote is to provide legislators who serve the general interest with equal or greater persistent support. That’s why the CA Legislature had the nerve to stand up to the doctors’ association last year in expanding nurse practitioner scope of practice and rejecting several special interest bills. This year we’re fighting to enact reforms and against more special interest bills. There will be countless such battles in the coming decades. Legislators who serve the general interest must know we will always be there for them.
