Experts Expound

Both. Good for discipline. Bad for PR.

Every bit as smart as Unruh’s 1963 lockdown of the Assembly that forever gave him the Big Daddy reputation.

Dumb move–there’s no such thing as a moderate Democrat anyway.

Really dumb–this is the kind of thing that leads to palace coups.

There likely are other games afoot here. Perata isn’t dumb. With ambitious rivals like Alex Padilla and Darrell Steinberg lurking around the fringes of leadership, this was a message to the caucus–not merely to the “offending” senators. Perata is not averse to using a heavy hand. Everyone has been warned.
I doubt that Perata’s conduct will be perceived positively by the public.
Don looks desperate–and a bit wacky and weak–in his final session as pro tem. Disenfranchising the voters of three Senate districts isn’t tough–it’s wrong and dumb. Time for a bipartisan coalition leadership?

Incredibly dumb move. This cements the notion that the Legislature is a childish institution incapable of dealing with California’s problems as they prepare to ask the voters to change term limits.

A bit petty, but it’s about time someone reigned in the rogue caucus. Unfortunately there isn’t an adult over in the Assembly.

It’s outrageous, really. Those members and their staffs are supposed to be in their offices doing the public’s work and he locks them out? It makes him look incredibly petty.

It makes him look small and petty–even more than normal. I can’t remember the last legislative leader with such a political tin ear.

Stalin would be so proud!

Really stupid move if he knew all along he would have to let them back in. It is a media mistake, a caucus mistake and a good-government mistake.

If he actually believed that he would not have to allow three state senators into their private offices then he has far greater issues of arrogance and lack of respect for his colleagues then can be related here.

Headlines with the words “coup attempt” should follow in either case.

It’s dumb to highlight the kind of bullyboy leadership that fueled the original term-limits drive. But it’s small, and only three people will remember.

Both. It keeps members in line, but by allowing the members to continue to talk about it without recourse weakens his power.

Dumb move–and heavy handed. Voters could easily ask if that was the best use of tax dollars–just another mark against the Legislature’s public perception. The locked-out legislators have districts, like Perata, to represent. Why should they be denied that responsibility? Because of philosophical difference politically?

The people from whom we sought opinions: Andrew Acosta, A.G. Block, Roy Behr, Don Wilcox, Jon Fleischman, Evan Goldberg, Deborah Gonzalez, Dan Schnur, Jason Kinney, Tom Kise, Karen Hanretty, Kevin Spillane, Michael Houston, Adam Mendelsohn, Matt Ross, Sam Delson, Mike Madrid, Morgan Crinklaw, Dave Lesher, Richard Zeiger, Mike Madrid, Margita Thompson, Ken Gibson, Ralph Simoni, Bob Hertzberg, Scott Baugh, Steve Maviglio, Tony Quinn, Peter DeMarco, Adam Probolsky, Barbara O’Connor, Jack Pitney.