Outgoing Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D–Lakewood) has a piece of advice for his successor: don’t overlook the Central Valley and the rest of inland California.
Rendon spoke to The Los Angeles Times ahead of the Asm. Robert Rivas (D–Hollister) taking over as Speaker next week.
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The backstory: Rendon was first elected to the Assembly in 2012, serving as Speaker since 2016 and will term out of office next year.
- Democrats brokered a deal last year to keep Rendon on until the end of June, after which Rivas will take over.
Driving the news: Speaking to the Times, Rendon’s advice for Rivas centered on the difference of what he calls Western California and Eastern California.
- For those who live in what Rendon calls Eastern California, which includes the Central Valley, the state has failed them.
What he said: In the interview, Rendon noted that both he and Rivas are from Western California, where the majority of the state’s population resides.
- “We’ve done a s–- job with Eastern California,” Rendon said. “You draw a straight line through California. Coachella, Inland Empire, Central Valley up to Redding and up. We’ve done a s–- job of making sure there’s anything close to equity in terms of resources on their side of the line.”
- During a round of campaign stump speeches across the state, Rendon noted that “sometimes you recycle s—, right? And I’m giving a speech in Westwood. I’m giving a speech in San Francisco, giving a speech to Santa Barbara, and then I don’t know where I was — maybe near Hanford. I started giving this speech about the California dream.
- “I looked around and I was like, ‘F—.’ This is not the place for that. It’s incorrect. It’s lying to people.”
