【《We Chinese in America》Media Editor Tang Zhao, September 5, 2022】California could be on the cusp of losing one of the most effective national political allies it’s ever had. She’s credited with ensuring the state pocketed a larger share of federal funding and bolstering California’s 42-member congressional delegation. (Photo shows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) in July. Photo credit :Los Angeles Times)

During two stints as House speaker, Nancy Pelosi quietly and relentlessly promoted progressive California-backed policies such as climate change, drought and healthcare. She’s credited with ensuring the state pocketed a larger share of federal funding and bolstering California’s 42-member congressional delegation.

The 82-year-old said in November 2020 that this will be her last term as speaker, a timeline she has since distanced herself from. She is running for reelection in her San Francisco district, but some expect she could retire after the midterm.

Now the prospect of life after Pelosi has some Californians beginning to ponder what kind of power vacuum her departure will leave, and what it will More startling to those who have become accustomed to California Democrats’ outsized influence is that Pelosi might be handing the speaker’s gavel to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, a fellow Californian.

His Republican Party’s policies — both in California and nationwide — are often diametrically opposed to the state’s liberal leadership and most of its residents.

Pelosi’s retirement will be “a blow to the country and a blow to California,” said former California Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Democrat who was elected to Congress five years before Pelosi. “It will put extra pressure on every member of Congress [from California] and our senators to step up much more than they have.”

For most of the last 15 years, any federal legislation that helped or hurt California generally had to run through Pelosi’s office, according to lawmakers and aides.

She made sure home-state projects like high-speed rail got opportunities for federal dollars, advanced interests such as water, drought and wildfire policy, and blocked Republican efforts to roll back environmental laws.

Pelosi boosted fellow Democrats from California, giving them opportunities to work on prized committees and high-profile legislation. She created openings in larger bills for policy that benefited the state, such as a Tijuana River improvement policy in the 2020 USMCA trade law. And she used the state’s progressive policies to model national legislation like the Affordable Care Act.

Because of Pelosi, California “always has a seat at the table on any relevant issue before Congress,” said Matt Weiner, the former executive director of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation and now CEO of Megafire Action. “I don’t know that some members appreciate how much Speaker Pelosi takes care of the state.”

She understands “how California’s needs are different and need to be addressed,” said Ann O’Leary, who was chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when Congress was enacting federal aid to the states.

A particularly coveted perk for California’s Democratic members has been a weekly lunch with Pelosi, which has built a deep sense of loyalty and camaraderie. The lunch is closed to staffers save for one or two, lending itself to a more frank and intimate conversation between lawmakers. Californians benefit from having a weekly, closed-door session with the speaker, where they hear about the agenda from her directly. “There’s a sense among members that you just do not miss it. There’s no staff, they talk candidly, can get cosponsors on bills, talk about issues before they get to the floor. And the speaker stays the entire time,” said a senior House aide who has worked for several California members. “That’s sort of a sacrosanct time for members of the delegation.”

Some question whether the delegation will remain united — and as politically powerful — without Pelosi at the helm.

She and her office now rebuff questions about exactly when she will turn over the powerful post, saying she is still focused on completing the work.

“The speaker is not on a shift,” her spokesman said. “She’s on a mission.”

(Source: Los Angeles Times)

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