Capitol Briefs: Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss

Macedo replaces Flora amidst GOP turmoil: It didn’t take Assembly Republicans long after returning from the summer recess to oust embattled Assemblymember Heath Flora (R-Ripon) as Minority Leader. He was replaced by Assemblymember Alexandra “Ali” Macedo (R-Tulare).

Assembly Republicans also chose several new leaders: Assemblyman David Tangipa (R-Fresno) as Minority Whip, Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) as Minority Floor Leader, Assemblywoman Natasha Johnson (R-Lake Elsinore) as Minority Caucus Chair, and Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) as Minority Deputy Leader.

In a press release Macedo said she was “deeply honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me, and I am proud to stand alongside a unified caucus dedicated to real, common-sense solutions.”

But not all of her caucus agrees they are unified. In a statement put out on Tuesday, Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) said the caucus was “fiercely divided” over replacing Flora with Macedo, and “the direction it represents.”

That is presumably a reference to Macedo’s reputation – and that of the others moving into leadership alongside her – for being far more aligned with Donald Trump than Flora or other more moderate Assembly Republicans.

Alanis’s protestation didn’t go unnoticed or unanswered, as Patterson took to X to say “I think the reality is, while some people didn’t support the change and others (one?) are going to react a certain way, the fact is most are going to rally behind the new leader and be supportive. Many have already said so.”

The vote to elect Macedo Minority Leader was 10-9.

Landfill fires bill moves to Senate floor: The Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed AB 28, a bill authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Chatsworth) intended to address conditions that contribute to landfill fires. The 5-1 vote moves the bill to the Senate floor for further consideration.

RIP Capitol consultant John Griffing: Longtime economics professor turned Capitol consultant John Griffing passed away on July 24^th. Griffing spent the better part of three decades in various positions in the Capitol, including as Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Commerce, Principal Consultant in the Senate Office of Research and Chief Consultant to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. After retiring he spent another seven years as the Director of the Public Service Program in the University of California Office of the President. A full obituary can be found here.

Capitol deadlines to know: Per intrepid lobbyist, law professor and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Chris Micheli, here are a handful of upcoming key deadlines every Capitol creature should know:

8/14 – Fiscal committee (Suspense Files on 8/13)

8/21 – Floor amendments

8/27 – Remove bills from Inactive File

8/28 – 72-hour amends

8/31 – Last day to pass bills; Final Recess begins

9/30 – Last day for Governor to sign or veto bills passed

Affordability biggest issue for young voters: Affordability is the primary concern for among young California voters according to a new poll from Power California. Eighty percent of the 1,600 voters ages 18 to 30 years old surveyed said the cost of living in California is outpacing their wages. Fifty percent said they feel the state is heading in the wrong direction, with those numbers slightly higher among Latino (55%), AAPI (55%) and Black (54%) respondents.