News

Assembly Democrats Form Progressive Caucus

In an effort to bolster the party’s left flank in the California Legislature, nearly two dozen Assembly Democrats have signed on to form a Progressive Caucus. The ideology, according to the group, is that the members “value people more than money.” The caucus hopes to be a divergence from the informal group of centrist, business-aligned Democrats known as the Mod Caucus, that have been a pivotal bloc of votes on bills on taxes and environmental regulation. Identified among the group's top issues are mass incarceration, climate change, women's and civil rights, and immigration issues. The group hopes to prove its members’ dedication to progressive legislation and expunge the image of “establishment.” The group has not decided whether it will designate priority legislation or other trappings of traditional caucuses, but one thing is clear – members are planning to band together in one key way to boost their influence: fundraising as a group. Led by Chairman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (AD 59 – Los Angeles), the members of the caucus include: