PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
August 15, 2012 | 1:12 pm

Assembly Speaker John A. Perez said the Legislature would end its session by passing measures to overhaul the public pension system and enact “regulatory reforms” to make California more attractive to businesses

Assembly Speaker John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles) said Wednesday that the Legislature would end its two-year session this month by passing measures to overhaul the state’s public pension system and enact a series of “regulatory reforms” to make California more attractive to businesses.

He said he hopes that a combination of “smart cuts and smart investments” will spur voters to approve billions of dollars in tax hikes in November to balance the state’s books.

Speaking at a Capitol news conference, Perez boasted about past achievements — delivering on-time state budgets, approving funding for California’s high-speed rail project, passing protections for homeowners from foreclosure and aggressive bank practices — but provided few details about some of largest items on the legislative agenda in the final weeks of the session.

On pensions, he pledged to deliver “comprehensive action” that goes above and beyond the 12-point plan proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown, but he declined to discuss specifics. On business regulations, he said lawmakers would likely consider legislation as part of “an ongoing effort to modernize our regulatory system so that it more accurately reflects real-world realities.”

On the list is the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.

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