His style was so abrasive that his colleagues on the board decided to skip over him in the typical rotation for board vice president, fearing he didn’t have the temperament.īotelho, a Republican, pulled Rivas aside and suggested he focus more on working with his colleagues than fighting them. But when he decided to run for the San Benito Board of Supervisors in 2010, he unseated an incumbent with Rick’s help.īefore Rivas become a skilled bridge builder who isn’t afraid of a fight, he wasn’t easy to work with, said former San Benito Supervisor Anthony Botelho. Growing up with a severe stutter, Rivas said he didn’t expect a career in politics. Inspired by their grandfather’s community organizing, the Rivas brothers jumped into politics in their early 20s, helping run local campaigns, including for now-Senator Anna Caballero. But two, it probably wouldn’t be a good look for you if your friends knew that you shared a bed with your mom, your brother, your great-grandmother,” Rivas recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. “She’s like, ‘Well, one, there’s really no place for them to stay. Rivas was sharing a three-bedroom duplex with eight other family members. While his grandfather worked in the fields, Rivas’ grandmother worked in the cannery.Īs a child, Rivas said he didn’t realize his family was poor until he asked his mother if he could have friends sleepover. Rivas and his younger brother, Rick, were raised by a single mother and his grandparents. “The challenge is that anybody can call for a vote at any time to replace the speaker, so you have to keep making sure at least 41 of the 80 are happy so that they don’t vote you out,” said Bill Wong, a Rendon ally who served as political director for the Assembly Democratic caucus. Democrats hold three-quarters of the seats in the Assembly, the largest majority in the state’s history. He insisted animosity within the caucus is in the past, though he demoted some of Rendon’s allies in his first days in office.
Rivas also must try to keep his lieutenants loyal to move his agenda forward. A continuing budget deficit is likely after a $32 billion shortfall this year. Rivas has talked about the urgency to tackle California’s homelessness crisis, which accounts for nearly a third of the nation’s homeless population, as well as the state needing to improve public services and infrastructure and combat climate change. He said he’ll focus on passing bills addressing affordability in the state and reviewing existing laws to make sure “government works for the people of California.” On paper, Rivas and his predecessor hold similar political views and so far he has been vague about his specific policy priorities. He also wields power by assisting fellow Democrats with their campaigns. The speaker installs committee chairs, controls what legislation gets voted on and negotiates the budget with the governor and Senate leader.
#ROBERT PLASTER CALIFORNIA PRO#
Rivas is now one of three most powerful political figures in California, alongside the governor and Senate president pro tempore.
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