SO LONG, FAREWELL: Today’s hours-long tributes of tearful farewells and quippy roasts in the Capitol highlighted the extent of institutional knowledge about to be lost in Sacramento — and the wide range of fresh faces we can expect to see after November. The Legislature is soon to see a major exodus when the session wraps next week as a slew of veteran lawmakers either term out or seek other offices. A total of 23 assemblymembers and 11 senators are packing their boxes as the historically large 2012 class hits its 12-year limit. That means there’s a total of 35 outgoing members, including former Assemblymember Vince Fong, who left earlier this year to take over former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s seat. And combined with the assemblymembers who left in 2021-2022, the majority of the lower house has now turned over during the past few years. The total number of outgoing lawmakers is in line with recent years, said Alex Vassar, a spokesperson for the California State Library. The 2021-2022 session saw 39 lawmaker departures, he said. There were 19 lawmakers who left at the close of the 2019-2020 session, 20 during the 2017-2018 session and 29 during the 2015-2016 session. However, some particularly long-serving members are leaving this session. That includes former appropriations and budget committee chairs, as well as the previous Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. “It’s a significant, significant group leaving,” Vassar said. Rendon was the second-longest-serving speaker in Assembly history, and Atkins was the first woman to lead both legislative houses. Former Assembly Appropriations Committee Chair Chris Holden authored legislation creating a fast food worker council and setting a minimum wage for the industry, among other accomplishments. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, the longtime chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, pushed the Legislature in a more progressive direction on criminal justice policy. He “fundamentally changed the conversation in California about what justice means,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta, who previously served on the Assembly Public Safety Committee with Jones-Sawyer. Sen. Steven Bradford praised Sen. Nancy Skinner for her work on a 2019 bill they authored together on collegiate name, image and likeness, or NIL, deals that helped student athletes earn endorsement money. “It was Nancy who came to me and said, ‘Bradford, let’s do this together,’” Bradford said of the bill they co-authored. “She understood the value of diversity and moving this issue forward. She understood that the majority of these athletes who were not being compensated didn’t look like her. They were African-American men.” The send-offs also included some particularly light-hearted moments. Assemblymember Gail Pellerin complimented Assemblymember Laura Friedman by calling her “brat,” in reference to the Charli XCX album that has become shorthand for anyone acting in a bold and nonconformist way. Jones-Sawyer, talking about his pride in his children, said his goal had been to “keep my daughter off the pole and my son off the pipe.” He said he’d “done an extremely good job at doing both.” “If you don’t understand that, that is some South Central Los Angeles wisdom right there,” Jones-Sawyer added. Holden couldn’t resist making a joke referencing our own Chris Cadelago’s recent reporting on his father, former state Sen. Nate Holden. The elder Holden said he believes former President Donald Trump mixed him up with former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown when recounting a time when the two were nearly in a helicopter crash together. Chris Holden mentioned his previous tenure as chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, saying it “has a legacy of an amazing roll call of members who are still serving in amazing ways today.” “Willie Brown, Nate Holden,” the assemblymember said. “You know, I can't tell those two apart." — With help from Jeremy B. White IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
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