SWEET SORROW, February 2014
Over the past two decades, Darrell Steinberg has become synonymous with Sacramento government, representing residents on the City Council, in the Assembly and, since 2006, in the Senate. In 2008, he became the first Sacramento-based leader of that chamber since 1883.
In the five years since, Steinberg has been front and center on some of the biggest issues facing the state and our region, from historic land-use reform to mental health care funding. We sat down with him to discuss his current legislative priorities and possible future plans as he enters his final year in the Senate.
Comstock’s: How time flies. Have you mentally accepted that this will be your last year in the Legislature?
Steinberg: I’ve actually been preparing for some time. With term limits, you always know from the very beginning that, kind of like life itself, it doesn’t last forever. But, I’ve had one of the longest continuing runs of anybody. I know I will miss it, but I’m also looking forward to whatever the next chapters are in my life. This job has many upsides: the ability to influence policy and to know that your work led to people’s lives being improved. But it is all-consuming as well. I’m also not out yet! I’ve led through four years of hell in California, with terrible budgets and multi-billion-dollar deficits. Now, we have some better times and better budgets, and I want two full years to be able to lead during a better period and get some positive things done. (click to continue reading)
