Perata Says There Will be 'Consequences' For Coup

"You want me to be honest or coy?"
    —Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland), speaking this morning at a press conference.

Senate leader Perata, who is termed out in two years, told reporters that he would fight to the bitter end to keep his leadership job, despite reports that two incoming freshman senators are interested in replacing him. Speculation has centered on incoming Sens. Alex Padilla, the former Los Angeles City Council member; and Darrell Steinberg, the affable former Assemblyman from Sacramento.

"I have told the caucus ... we like the standard John Burton set. He had to have his fingers pried off the doorknob before he left," said Perata, vowing to stay in charge through the 2008 elections. "If anybody jumps the gun on that, there will be some consequences because it destabilizes the process."

Talk then turned to term limits. Perata said no deal has been reached with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger linking an extension of term limits — and presumably the careers of Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez — with the governor's plan to change how legislative districts are drawn. But Perata thinks California's term limits law has been a disaster, describing the Legislature as a Greyhound bus station. He wants to stay past 2008.

"Oh yeah. I would, yeah, of course," Perata said. "The civics teacher in me would like to see this place what it once was. I'm not saying we should be here forever, but the truncated terms are ravaging this building."

Roadblock alert: The newly elected Assembly Republican leader, Michael Villines of Clovis, said this morning that his caucus would not support linking redistricting to extending term limits. He said voters would be suspicious of putting anything that "benefits us" on the ballot. Villines said he likes the current term limits law as it is. (Of course, he wouldn't be Assembly GOP leader — after serving only two years — without term limits weakening the power structure in the Legislature.)

(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP)