Democracy depends on everyone having their chance to speak. This is especially true in the state legislature when we are debating important public policy issues. Over the past two years, I have been proud to represent the residents of the 47th District. I have always worked in a bipartisan manner to deliver real solutions for California’s working families.
Unfortunately, bipartisanship and the democratic process were absent over the weekend at the California State Capitol.
Instead, what transpired was undemocratic.
Instead of being a place for open debate and democratic discussion, it became a showcase of single-party control. Using rule changes to bypass the traditional democratic process, dissenting voices were shut down and ignored, and the time for Assemblymembers to debate bills was cut from five minutes to just 30 seconds.
These were not trivial matters. The most important bills of the two-year legislative session—bills that demand thorough public debate—were relegated to the bottom of the file, last in line for consideration, and faced the most scrutiny.
We even witnessed the presiding officer of the Assembly refuse to recognize a sitting member of the Assembly when he passionately objected to the rule changes and the degradation of the “People’s House” into a tool of illiberal democracy.
Several members—on both sides of the aisle—attempted to speak on a bill that was supposed to be up for debate but were not even recognized by the Chair, despite our rights and responsibilities as elected Assemblymembers to speak on behalf of our constituents. This silencing is disrespectful to the nearly 500,000 people we each represent.
What happened Saturday night was entirely undemocratic and indefensible. Silencing members, cutting off debate, and refusing to hear opposing bills is the opposite of democracy. It is an attempt to circumvent the very institutions that uphold our democratic process to rush through an agenda full of half-baked efforts that cannot stand up to thorough public scrutiny. It was a one-sided, rushed, undemocratic calamity.
This is not how we best serve the people of California, where every voice matters and the democratic process is vital to our state’s success.
Californians deserve better than the Legislature’s version of democracy—a false system that appears balanced on the outside but undermines the principles our nation was founded upon. It is genuine balance that will bring us back to a process that serves all Californians—a process that fosters stability, thoughtfulness, and the creation of well-vetted legislation that withstands scrutiny from both sides of the aisle.
What we need are real solutions to the crises we face—housing, insurance, electricity, homelessness, climate change—and real leadership to protect our democratic process. We need to work together, reach consensus, support each other, and collaborate across the aisle. We need democracy to work for all the people, not just a chosen few.
Greg Wallis represents California’s 47th Assembly District.
