Tensions Flare Between Davis and His Democrats

Simmering tensions between Gov. Gray Davis and his fellow Democrats in the Legislature escalated Wednesday with the governor’s insistence that the job of state lawmakers is “to implement my vision.”

Davis complained in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board that liberal Democrats in the Legislature are not following the centrist course that voters endorsed when they elected him by a landslide last fall.

“They have a totally different view of the world than I do--totally different,” the governor said. “It was my vision that commanded a 20-point victory, the largest victory in 40 years.

“People expect government to reflect the vision that I suggested,” he continued. “Nobody else in the Legislature ran statewide. Their job is to implement my vision. That is their job.”

Davis aides sought to clarify the governor’s comments Wednesday, saying that he continues to hold the Legislature in high regard and is not feuding with his fellow party members.

Publication of the comments Wednesday struck a nerve in Sacramento, where--only six months into the new administration--Davis’ relationship with the Democratic-controlled Legislature has been strained.

Davis and Democratic leaders have tangled repeatedly over policy issues, and legislators now characterize their relations as being at a low point.

Davis aides privately attribute a recent series of testy exchanges with his fellow Democrats to the growing pains of a new and politically moderate governor trying to establish a working relationship with a liberal legislative leadership.

The confrontations date at least to the governor’s controversial decision in April to continue a court action on Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot measure to end most public benefits for illegal immigrants.

At that time, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat, issued a blistering criticism of the governor’s decision, suggesting that he was reneging on a campaign promise to heal racial wounds. A few weeks later, Bustamante staff members were ejected from their Capitol parking spaces, a move Davis critics attributed to gubernatorial retribution. Davis aides blamed the move on a construction project.

Escalating Tensions

Last month, Davis used his line-item veto authority to cut $262 million from health and welfare programs and an additional $185 million from education programs that were sponsored by Democratic legislators. The governor said the programs would jeopardize state finances if the economy soured.

Tension escalated when the governor complained that lawmakers were being undisciplined by sponsoring more than 60 health care reform bills, some of which are duplicative and some of which are contradictory.

Without telling Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) or Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), Davis convened a meeting last week with some authors of the legislation in hopes of narrowing the list of bills to about half a dozen. The two Democratic leaders responded with a memo that warned Davis to steer clear of the legislative process.

The governor’s role was especially controversial because health care companies with a high stake in the legislation recently hosted a fund-raiser for Davis that reportedly generated more than $100,000 in contributions.

This week, consumer groups blasted the governor when he held a closed-door meeting on the topic in San Francisco with legislators and health industry representatives.

Beyond policy differences, Davis critics say that the governor has shown a general lack of respect for legislative leaders.

He has at times made significant policy proposals without notifying the legislative leadership, even though they are often required to ratify the plans and sometimes have publicly expressed different views.

And they complain that he has been arrogant and dismissive in contending that his election victory and current popularity rating are evidence that he is right and they are wrong.

Legacy of Conflict

On Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers said they were surprised to hear the governor suggest in the Chronicle interview that their job is to implement his vision. But publicly, they continued to promise a working relationship.

“Calling somebody irrelevant and being irrelevant are two different things,” said Burton. “Clearly the state Senate is not irrelevant to life.”

Villaraigosa said he hopes Davis misspoke. But he said he does not intend to raise the issue with the governor.

“I hope those comments don’t accurately reflect his sentiments,” he said. “We got elected too, you know, and we have to be accountable to our constituents. I think up until now we have been able to work through the differences. I prefer to move ahead positively.”

Such difficulties are not new. Jerry Brown, California’s last Democratic governor, endured a testy relationship with the Legislature. More recently, former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson was forced to rely on Democrats to pass his first state budget when he faced a rebellion in GOP ranks.

Despite the current strains, Davis aides contend that his record of accomplishments--education reforms, an assault weapons ban, improved relations with Mexico, an on-time budget and the purchase of a redwood forest--is evidence of an effective working relationship.

“Even while the governor and the Legislature have been working out their relationship, there has been enormous accomplishment,” said Davis communications director Phil Trounstine. “I put that record up against any governor in modern times.”

Davis press secretary Michael Bustamante criticized the Chronicle on Wednesday, saying that it did not accurately characterize the governor’s comments. He also said some of what the governor told the paper was intended to be off the record.

Chronicle Managing Editor Jerry Roberts responded that Davis was aware of the paper’s policy that interviews with its editorial board are conducted on the record. He also said the story quoted the governor extensively to provide the context Davis intended.

“I think the quote speaks for itself in terms of the characterization,” Roberts said.

Davis’ temper flared when he was asked by the Chronicle about the proximity of the fund-raiser and the health care policy negotiations--which was the topic of a story the paper published Tuesday.

Davis used an expletive in describing the question. “That’s just a chicken---- article,” he said.

Davis also compared the access of health care advocates at the fund-raiser to that of newspaper publishers who have lobbied him to remove a sales tax on their products.

“This is the height of hypocrisy,” the governor told the Chronicle. “I had the newspaper publishers in to see me . . . and each one saying you have got to repeal that tax on newspapers. There was no consumer in that meeting. This is blatant self-interest, a captured governor.”