Steinberg seeks to curb Senate staff ‘lobbying’ during floor sessions

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Are powerful staff in the Legislature wielding too much influence? That appears to be the case, at least according to a state Senate memo issued this week demanding that, during floor sessions, all legislative staff cease and desist any lobbying of lawmakers who are not their bosses to influence the outcome of a vote.

Any Capitol aides caught bucking the prohibition and “FOUND ENGAGING IN ‘LOBBYING’ SHALL BE SUMMARILY REMOVED FROM THE CHAMBERS BY THE SERGEANT-AT-ARMS,” the memo concludes in all capital letters.

The memo, sent Tuesday by Secretary of the Senate Greg Schmidt to every senator, emphasized that staffers “have no right to attempt to influence the outcome of a vote.” Some in the Capitol corridors have bristled at the memo and its implications of staff influence.

“I just question what the basis is for saying you can’t work with your staff,” said Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), one of the Senate’s political moderates. “The staff is never there to tell you how to vote. They’re there to give you information on the bill.”

Alicia Trost, a spokeswoman for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), said of the memo, “We’re just trying to discourage any form of lobbying on the floor.”

Business-friendly Democrats and their staff sometimes work against the wishes of the Senate leader to stall or amend legislation during floor sessions. Trost denied that the new rules were meant to curb the influence of moderates sometimes at odds with the more left-leaning Steinberg.

“We’re just trying to operate the floor in a more efficient way and to enhance the communication between members,” she said.

Staff lobbying isn’t the only target of the memo. It also reminds lawmakers that e-mailing with lobbyists from the Senate floor is no-no. Trost said the rules outlined in the memo must still be ratified by the Senate Rules Committee, which Steinberg chairs.

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento