A Chance to Even the Legislative Scales : With Katz and Rogan as Assembly leaders, the Bay Area’s longtime dominance ends

It had to happen this way.

Power in the Legislature has finally shifted from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California. Assemblymen James Rogan (R-Glendale) and Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) are serving as the leaders of their respective parties on the Assembly floor . . . for the next 10 months.

Of course, it couldn’t have happened in the following way--although this would have been eminently fair: begin term limits in Northern California, moving south about four years later. Then, local voters who have waited so long for this kind of power might have been able to enjoy it a little longer.

Just one example of the Bay Area’s former stranglehold on power is sufficient for our argument. In 1989, Northern California suffers severe earthquake damage. A special session of the Legislature is called, and a temporary sales tax is enacted to raise money for repairs. In 1994, our region suffers far more earthquake damage. No special session. No sales tax.

As it is, Katz is out after the November election because of the same term-limits mandate that knocked the Bay Area for a legislative influence loop. Rogan is leaving the scene voluntarily in order to seek the congressional seat of Carlos J. Moorhead (R-Glendale). Term limits means that legislators no longer have time to grow into the job, but Rogan and Katz have even less time to grow into theirs.

It’s gratifying to hear colleagues say that neither Rogan nor Katz are lame ducks. It’s great to hear that Katz feels free of the normal encumbrances of office. It’s great to hear that Rogan and Katz can work both sides of the aisle.

The delivery is what we are concerned about, and we would urge the two to work more closely together than they might have under other circumstances, particularly for the betterment of a part of California that deserves the new balance of power that has finally been achieved.