Editorial: Brown loses his touch on SB 350 negotiations

Gov. Jerry Brown long ago mastered political jiujitsu.

For those unfamiliar with jiujitsu, it is a martial art centered on the principle of turning an opponent’s energy against himself and then dispatching him. Often the vanquished foe is left wondering, “What in the world happened?”

The governor’s deft handling of myriad issues since he returned to office in 2010 has put California in a better place than it was during those dark days, when a combination of the Great Recession and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ineffective leadership sent our state reeling.

But even a politician as seasoned and as wise as Brown can have an off day – even a bad week or month. And that’s exactly what happened to Brown in the closing stretch of the just-concluded legislative session.

Not only did the governor see Senate Bill 350 stripped of provisions that would have sought a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use by 2030, his attempt to address California’s deteriorating highways and bridges disappeared into a pothole, so to speak.

Politicians and media sympathetic to Brown are blaming others for the gutting of SB 350.

They’re saying that the “mod Democrats” led by Assemblyman Henry T. Perea sold their souls to the oil industry and sold out Californians who want to breathe cleaner air. They’re also criticizing Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins for not being able to control her members.

The critics are wrong.

The fact is, there was a deal to be made on the petroleum-reduction side of SB 350. That’s how legislation often gets done.

But rather than work out their differences, Gov. Brown decided to declare defeat last week and chastise those lawmakers who had legitimate questions about what the California Air Resources Board would require of citizens and businesses to reach the petroleum reduction goal.

In addition, the Perea-led moderate Democrats and Republicans weren’t the only lawmakers opposed to the petroleum reduction plank of the bill. They were joined by some liberal Democrats representing suburban areas where people get to work and school in cars.

California is a world leader in combating climate change and developing a green energy economy. The shooting down of the petroleum reduction mandate doesn’t change that.

We hope that Gov. Brown cools down and talks to moderate Democrats about their concerns. Together they can come up with a plan for the next legislative session that aggressively reduces California’s dependence on fossil fuels.

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Editorial: Brown loses his touch on SB 350 negotiations."