Powerful Democratic Party in California Shapes Legislation

The California Democratic Party is a multimillion-dollar enterprise whose endorsements and campaign funds can make or break a politician’s ambitions for state or federal office.

The party, it turns out, also regularly meddles in individual bills in the California Capitol, where Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers.

So far in the current 2023-24 legislative session, the party has sponsored 142 bills, according to combined data from party officials and the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.

Few other organizations have spoken out on more legislation, making the party, whose primary function is to elect Democrats, one of the most prolific — and successful — lobbying organizations in the Capitol.

“California Democrats are committed to lifting up all Californians and moving our state forward,” party chairman Rusty Hicks told CalMatters in a statement. “The work of Democrats in the state legislature is an important part of delivering on that commitment. (The party’s) inclusive, thorough process ensures that the legislation we support reflects our shared values.”

The bills the party takes a stand on tend to be deep in the weeds of state policy. For example, the party supported a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last year that requires judges to consider the needs of impoverished communities and small farmers in groundwater disputes.

The party also supports a bill that would require artificial intelligence developers to disclose what data they use to “train” their systems.

An analysis by Digital Democracy last month found that the Democratic Party was one of the most successful lobbying groups at the Capitol. The analysis was based on whether bills were passed or defeated in accordance with a group’s position.

Gregg Hart, a Democratic Assemblyman from Santa Barbara, said it’s not certain he would vote for a bill if the party supports it. But he said the party is one of several organizations, including labor unions and environmental groups, whose opinions he values, since he casts hundreds of votes in a given year.

“When I see that the Democratic Party has supported a bill,” he said, “that gives me a red flag.”

That doesn’t mean the party’s support is a guaranteed ticket to signing a bill. According to Digital Democracy, one in three bills the party supports is not passed.

A recent example: The party supported a bill that Newsom vetoed last year that would have prevented local governments from punishing government workers for striking in solidarity with other striking workers. Newsom’s veto message said he could not support the legislation for fear that simultaneous “sympathy strikes” at multiple levels of local government “could seriously disrupt or even halt the delivery of critical public services.”

Another bill the party supported last year but that failed involves legislation aimed at establishing a subsidy program to compensate new teachers in training programs during their internships.

How the Democratic Party Supports Bills

To get official Democratic Party approval for a bill, party leaders, a Democratic legislator, an official Democratic county organization or the various factions within the party can submit a request to the party’s legislative committee to consider supporting or rejecting a bill. Party officials say lobbyists or other individuals outside the official party apparatus are not allowed to submit requests.

The 30 people on the committee are all delegates to the party’s central committee who are running for the job. Party leaders choose members every odd-numbered year based on their professional background and experience, as well as their demographics such as age, sexual orientation and race, party officials say.

The party’s legislative committee co-chairs are Margaret Granado, a Los Angeles teacher who is a member of the California Teachers Association, and Amar “AJ” Thomas, a San Francisco attorney and city official.

Party officials say they generally do not oppose legislation unless it is a Republican-sponsored bill. This session, the party has never formally opposed a bill.

If the legislation passes, the bills will be sent to the party’s 400-plus-member board for official approval. The board is made up of members of the county party central committees, co-chairs of the various state party committees and members of the Democratic National Committee. Democratic members of the California Senate, Assembly and U.S. Congress also serve on the board.

The executive board typically votes on bills through a so-called “consent calendar” process, in which each bill is not discussed individually. But board members can request that bills be removed from the consent calendar for full review, party officials say.

The California Republican Party, on the other hand, does not take positions on individual bills, except for ballot initiatives that must first go through the legislature. The party focuses instead on political campaigns.

“Our role as a (party) is to support and elect Republicans, and we leave the legislative process to the legislators,” party spokeswoman Ellie Hockenbury said in a statement. “We follow their lead to help them spread the word on important bills and issues. However, we do not have a formal approval process for those things.”

Hans Poschman and Thomas Gerrity, members of the CalMatters Digital Democracy team, contributed to this story.