In ‘Becerra era,’ could legislative approach change?

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here.

Hello and welcome back to Capitol Confidential! 

Happy post-Election Day. 

As can be expected in California, many races have not yet been called. But on the national level, Democrats routed Republicans in landslide victories that handed the party full control of Congress and delivered President Donald Trump a lame duck final two years. 

Control of the state Legislature is infinitely less exciting – we can all expect Democrats to maintain a majority in both the Assembly and Senate. But there are a handful of competitive races yet to be called. During the last midterm election in 2022, a state Senate race was one with just 22 votes, and an Assembly race squeaked by with 85. Time can only tell if 2026 will see any similar nail-biters.

For full election outcomes, follow the San Francisco Chronicle’s live results tracker.

During his election party in West Sacramento on Tuesday night, Governor-elect Xavier Becerra gleefully announced it was the start of the “Becerra era.” 

When it comes to the new governor’s expected relationship with the Legislature, it’s still unclear just how this new era may differ – or mirror – the last. 

California’s next governor is no stranger to Sacramento. He grew up in the City of Trees, served in the Legislature and was the state’s attorney general. 

But the Democrat has become known for his unassuming, and at times, avoidant public persona. For the dozens of legislators gearing up for a new session under the first new administration in eight years, it’s still unclear how Becerra will work with the two chambers. Gov. Gavin Newsom himself had a rocky working relationship with the two chambers, with some years more combative than others. 

As the Chronicle’s Sophia Bollag reported, Becerra comes from a legislative background. He served one term in the state Assembly, then 24 years in Congress representing the Los Angeles area. In 2017, then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him California attorney general. 

In 2020, President Joe Biden named him health and human services secretary, a role Becerra served for the duration of Biden’s presidency.

Roger Salazar, a longtime Democratic operative in California who worked for Becerra’s attorney general campaign said he takes a “methodical approach to policy making,” contrasting his style with Newsom, who he characterized as someone “wanting to push the envelope.”

Kim Nalder, a political science professor at Sacramento State, told the Chronicle that Becerra’s style might be setting him up for a friendlier relationship with the Legislature. 

“If you are a less flashy, vision-heavy sort of leader to really get in the weeds with policy with like-minded individuals in the other branch — I suspect that’s what he’s intending to do,” she said. “Rather than being sort of top-down, ‘I promised this when I was campaigning, and therefore that’s what the Legislature will be doing.’”

But Becerra has also been criticized – by Democrats and Republicans alike – of being too vague and noncommittal on policy positions. 

Becerra has pointedly avoided the kind of ambitious campaign promises that his predecessor Newsom shared during his race for the governorship. He’s said he doesn’t want to commit to anything he doesn’t know he can deliver. Until the final weeks of the campaign, he was mostly absent from the campaign trail.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said he’s been in close contact with Becerra since he won the primary and that the governor-elect has been actively engaged with the Legislature. He said the idea that Becerra doesn’t have specific plans when he gets into office is wrong.

“Just because he has not publicly announced his commitment or tipped his hand on which policy he’s gonna pursue, doesn’t mean he doesn’t know,” Rivas said. “I’m not at liberty to say, but this is a man who is very strategic, very calculated.”

We’ll all have to wait a bit longer for the final results from our list of most closely watched Assembly and Senate races, but early returns suggest we may be in line for some nail-biters.

One of them is the race in Assembly District 7, which is looking to be yet another competitive election for incumbent Assembly Member Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, in his bid to retain his seat. The district encompasses eastern Sacramento County, including a mix of wealthy and working-class cities of Folsom, Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights in eastern Sacramento County.