The Fallout Of Speaker Robert Rivas’ Assembly Leadership Shakeup

Throughout the week, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) shook up the leadership in the California Assembly. Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) was replaced as Majority Leader by Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). Replacing her as Speaker Pro Tempore is Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg). The Assembly Appropriations chair was also switched from Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) to Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland). Even the Assembly Budget Committee saw their chair replaced, from Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) to Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills).

Overall, 17 Committees in total saw new chairs selected effective January 22nd of next year. While some took the replacement in stride, others became hostile towards the changes immediately. The most vocal was Bryan, a long-time Rivas supporter, who went from being the Assembly number two man as Majority Leader, to the significantly less influential chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.

While Bryan has supported Rivas for a long time, he has continually pointed out that Rivas has a hard time speaking for Southern California. Throughout the year, Bryan has even called himself the voice for LA in Sacramento and nearly threw his hat in the ring for Speaker before Rivas beat him to the punch.

“My brother Speaker Rivas is not from here. And he’s a good friend. Rob is really one of my best friends in this work. But he’s from Hollister,” said Bryan earlier this year.

Upon the new assignment being given out this week, Bryan added that “Black Californians who now see no representation in Rivas’ leadership team are certainly not absent leaders.”

While not a clear insult at the transition plans, many pointed to the radical changes as being Rivas’ plans to remove Bryan from a significant place of power because of his claims of being the voice for LA, as well as for his ambition to become Speaker. Rivas’ team vehemently denied these allegations this week, saying that the changes were being made because the current setup of leadership was made to help transition Rivas in as the new Speaker earlier this year.

“Everyone always knew this was a transition team and there would be changes to leadership,” said Rivas’ Director of Communications Nick Miller. “Isaac is a tremendous leader and continues to be part of the speaker’s leadership team.”

Rivas Spokeswoman Elizabeth Ashford added, “No, it did not have anything to do with it. Period.”

Nonetheless, criticisms continued to come in over the Thanksgiving holiday. Most pointed were how some new leaders, such as Wood and now incoming Public Safety Committee Chair Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) were being elevated up despite already announcing that they wouldn’t be running for reelection next year, necessitating even more political wrangling following the election. Others pointed to how some Assemblymembers had little experience in the committees in which they are chairing.

“Rivas just made all of these big changes,” political consultant Tara Soto told the Globe on Friday. “It’s too early to say just what these major position changes will bring, but what is certain is that a lot of them are rubbing people the wrong way. Rivas could have easily kept the transition team in place and not continue playing musical chairs with Assembly leadership, but they did so anyway.

“Because of some Assemblymembers coming in as chairs with little experience in the fields, 2024 elections, and because of a lot of outgoing people also getting roles, this is not exactly going to be a stable couple of years in the Assembly. Bills will still get passed and voted on and everything, but leadership will likely shuffle because of all the turbulence ahead. You can’t say these decisions were purely political, but they should have really been handled with more foresight and care.”

More Assembly retirements and shifts are expected to come in the coming months.