Capitol Weekly has ranked the legislators on a conservative-to-liberal spectrum, and the South Bay's two senators are among the most conservative Democrats. The legislators were ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the most liberal. Sen. Jenny Oropeza came in at 71, while Sen. Roderick Wright scored a 53.
In the case of Oropeza, D-Redondo Beach, her semi-moderate ranking seems to result from her absences. (She was on a cruise during a special session, which might explain some of those missed votes.) But Wright earned his conservative cred by showing up for votes and then bucking his party. After a year in office, he has established himself among the three or four most conservative Democrats in the Senate.
"Conservative," in this case, mostly means that he voted against environmental interests. Wright voted against AB 1404, which would have limited the use of carbon offsets to achieve reductions in global warming emissions. He voted against SB 728, a parking "cash out" bill designed to encourage people to walk, bike or take public transportation to work. He voted against SB 372, which would have made it more difficult to develop in state parks. And he voted for ABX4 23, which would have allowed offshore oil and gas leases in state waters.
And so on.
None of this ought to be too surprising, since Wright was elected with the help of a $1.2 million independent expenditure campaign funded by pro-business groups. The League of Conservation Voters backed his opponent, Merv Dymally, and from the standpoint of their interests it looks like they made the right call.
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