THE BUZZ — The nation’s liberal bastion is swinging further to the left. The California Legislature's progressive caucus notched win after win this year — sending Gov. Gavin Newsom proposals that would expand the power of labor, enact tougher climate rules and decriminalize some psychedelic drugs. They’re by no means dominating the scene — moderate Democrats still hold the line on progressives’ biggest goals. But some lobbyists and industry groups are grimacing over the shift, fretting that they have lost power to shape legislation because of a larger progressive caucus and the growing power of organized labor. "On the business side, we're not feeling like we have a seat at the table, and we need to earn one and we need to do it quickly,” said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, which opposed a late-in-the-session push to allow striking workers to access unemployment benefits. That bill, which previously failed in 2019, ultimately made it out of the Legislature this session along with other policies the body rejected just a year or two ago. They include a push for unionization of legislative staff, a bill to legalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms, and another requiring the corporate disclosure of emissions. The progressive policy proposals put a potentially awkward spotlight on Newsom. He’s committed to signing state Sen. Scott Wiener’s corporate emissions disclosure bill. He’s hemmed and hawed when asked about the psychedelic substances as well as whether to grant unemployment benefits to striking workers. “These bills are what the majority of the Democratic caucus believes in and fights for,” said Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the progressive caucus chair. “The governor will have to decide if his values align with the progressive values of our caucus.” Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, who leads the wing of moderate Democrats, acknowledged that progressives moved the ball on several issues this year. Rubio said, however, that it was the centrists who helped land deals on the year’s big-ticket items: fast food and minimum wage for health care workers. "The progressives certainly had some wins — I can't deny that," Rubio said. "But if you look at what got on the floor, a lot of it didn't get on. And a lot of it was heavily negotiated." Jane Kim, a former San Francisco supervisor and state director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, helped found the California chapter of the ultra-progressive Working Families Party last year. The group helped to elect nine of the Capitol’s most left-leaning lawmakers last cycle — a boost she said contributed to lawmakers “finally taking some big swings” this session. Even though progressives have expanded their clout in Sacramento, some activists remain frustrated that California won’t tackle their white whale issues, such as creating a single-payer health care system and ending oil and gas drilling. “The corporate Democrats still yield a lot of power,” said Amar Singh Shergill, former chair of the state Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus. Part of the challenge, Kim said, is that it’s become more popular for lawmakers to call themselves progressive regardless of whether they really are. She said some progressive caucus members don’t fit the label, but declined to name names. Which lawmakers have the street cred to match is apparently in the eye of the beholder. | 
