History’s second Hispanic Speaker of the California Assembly took office today and his words suggesting that his counseling of State Senator Abel Maldonado’s chances of being approved as the appointed Lt. Governor of California have improved potential confirmation by the state Assembly. His words auger well for California Hispanics.

John Perez’ words should encourage four more Assembly members to vote for Maldonado’s second nomination by Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger to override the previous vote for confirmation that carried the vote with 37 votes but constitutionally needed 41 votes (a majority of the 80-member Assembly). It should, but will it?

Leading the charge against Senator Maldonado is a handful of Hispanic Assembly members who prove that they are political idiots. They show the world that petty partisan Democrats cannot only be idiots but traitors to their own and people incapable of governing.

So what if Maldonado is a Republican? His critical votes on Democratic budget bills were keys to ending months-long budget delays that caused the state to issue “I.O.U”s instead of checks to vendors. His very presence in the Senate preceded the entry of politicians like Perez.

If nothing else Maldonado put some brakes on the decade long suicide run of the Democratic legislature that has bankrupted the State of California with budget deficits of as many as 25-BILLION dollars a year.

Yet only 37 Assembly members of both parties saw fit to vote yes on his confirmation to fill the vacant Lt. Governor’s office left empty by the election of former Lt. Governor John Garamendi to the United States Congress.

Huge deficits, court orders to empty crowded prisons, prison guards that make over a $100,000 a year, state Highway Patrol scams that retire high ranking officials with fraudulent 50 percent disability pensions, legislators ripping off the people with “per diem” payments that are illogical and, perhaps, illegal and a handful of Hispanic Assembly members campaign against one of their own for petty political reasons.

The State Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm Senator Maldonado. Despite this great vote, both houses of the legislature must vote majorities or the appointment dies. It died. Thus, the Governor re-nominated him starting a new cycle. The senate will vote for Senator Maldonado again. How will the Assembly vote?

Speaker Perez needs to convince four more Democrats to vote for Maldonado. Can he do it?

If Perez plans to be an effective Speaker, he must deliver for Maldonado. He has a little less than four years in which to serve as Speaker. The huge deficits must be solved while he is in office. He must be able to work with Republicans because budgets need two-thirds votes in the Assembly and Senate and Democrats don’t control two thirds of both houses, despite large majorities.

There are no “reconciliation” procedures as in the U.S. Senate in the California legislature. Thus, Perez needs Republicans. In the past, Maldonado provided the Democrats with the winning margin. Now is the time for Perez to pay back the gutsy Santa Maria Republican who considers bolting his party less important than the state and its people.

We are not alone. Major newspapers — liberal and conservative —throughout California have supported the nomination.

Never mind that Maldonado has also announced his campaign to fill the new Lt. Governor’s term up in November’s election. That is beside the point. Worry that he might run for governor from the office of Lt. Governor in the future is beside the point. The people of California will make those decisions when the time comes.

For now, Maldonado needs four more Democrat votes to be confirmed by the Assembly.  It is up to Speaker John Perez – California’s highest ranking political Hispanic — to deliver those votes for the man who will be the second highest ranking Hispanic.

If he doesn’t John Perez’ Speakership isn’t worth “a warm bucket of spit.”