Brown has pledged to seek voter approval of any tax increases, and expressed a willingness to veto new taxes. Another issue dividing Democrats is the implementation of the Federal health care reform. The proposed answer is to expand the MediCal program, which is receiving no support from the Brown administration. The Brown administration is dead against the full expansion of MediCal, as the California Secretary of Health and Human Services, Diana Cooley, announced at a symposium on healthcare reform. Despite assurances that the Federal government would foot the bill for the first three years of the MediCal expansion, California Secretary of Health and Human Services Diana Cooley said that the next decade would leave California with a $6 billion burden to pay over the next decade. The alternative plan, which aims to offer less coverage to the new pool of health insurance recipients, is drawing ire from legislative Democrats. Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), chair of the Senate Health Committee, swung for the fences during a Health Access symposium in December, saying “I have every intention to make sure that every single person has the fullest amount of benefits available and draw down as many federal dollars as we possibly can.” To make this happen, Hernandez proposed California should raise the rates
paid to providers for treating MediCal patients. He claimed that California’s rates are among the lowest in the nation and deter physicians from participating. Another area causing a fracas among Democrats is a reform to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which was used to protect environmental interests around the State. Spearheaded by the recently resigned Sen. Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield), Democrats hoped to modernize the act to help builders expedite the environmental review process. Reform efforts, currently stalled by Rubio’s abrupt resignation a month ago, were initially panned by a number of Democratic lawmakers last Summer when Silicon Valley interests proposed a reform that significantly rolled back the law. Months later, and a more moderate reform proposal, Democrats still face stiff opposition from various environmental groups keen on upholding the Reagan-era law. Competitive districts and the toptwo primary paved the way for the Democratic supermajority to come forth and also the expansion of the moderate bloc, with many pundits expecting the party to hold control for the remainder of the decade. A new day for the California Democratic Party is dawning in the State Capitol. Only time tell if they can avoid tripping over each other and keep such vast control over the Golden State.
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