California Lawmakers Begin 2007 Session

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published December 5, 2006 at 7:24 AM PST

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

California lawmakers face issues like universal healthcare, gay marriage, redistricting, and prison healthcare as they take up the 2007 session. Host Tom Fudge talks to John Myers with KQED about wha

Tom Fudge : The California Legislature kicked off a new two-year session yesterday. More than 30 new members of the legislature were sworn in. Strangely though, the proportion of Democrats to Republicans remains exactly the same as last year.

The State of California once again begins its lawmaking session with a structural budget deficit. This year it’s in the neighborhood of $5 billion. And while bipartisanship has been praised and encouraged, the minority party shows signs of being combative. Assembly Republicans, last month, booted San Diego area Assemblyman George Plescia as their leader. They’ll be lead, instead, by the more conservative and combative Mike Villines of Clovis.

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Guest

John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for KQED Public Radio and the public radio show The California Report.