Report Card: What did Assembly members from Orange County get done in 2021?
By BROOKE STAGGS | bstaggs@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: December 16, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. | UPDATED: January 6, 2022 at 5:13 p.m.
Among seven Assembly members connected to Orange County, Laurie Davies authored the highest ratio of bills that became law this year, with Cottie Petrie-Norris not far behind.
When it came to how frequently Assembly members met with constituents via live or electronic town halls, Petrie-Norris and Sharon Quirk-Silva tied for first. Meanwhile, Davies had the best attendance for key votes in the final month of the session, while Petrie-Norris has the most informative website.
With this year’s legislative session closed, the Register took a look at what Assembly members who represent portions of Orange County accomplished in 2021.
It’s not a ranking, per se. Authoring more bills doesn’t necessarily mean better laws, for example. Also, it’s not fair to compare bills passed across party lines given that Democrats hold a supermajority in Sacramento. And there are, at times, legitimate reasons why members miss votes.
Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, of AD-72
Davies, 59, is in her first term representing Assembly District 73, which covers southern Orange County. She serves on committees overseeing human services, appropriations, communications, government organization, judiciary and transportation.
Legislation: Davies authored 14 bills and one resolution this year. Six bills and her resolution were signed into law, including AB 381, which requires all drug treatment centers to have opioid overdose medication onsite at all times, and AB 419, which protects personal information about victims and witnesses of crimes so they feel comfortable cooperating in investigations.
Communication: Davies this year held one town hall focused on drug prevention, a workshop on teen mental health and a forum on public safety. Her website and social media accounts provide legislative updates, press releases and some other resources.
Helping constituents: Davies’ office closed 461 unemployment cases, held 246 legislative meetings, attended more than 75 ribbon cuttings, worked on more than 80 cases with other state offices and attended other community events.
Vote record: Davies was the only local member who didn’t miss any of the 31 key votes tracked in September by Vote Smart. Here’s how she voted on three high-profile bills this year (see details of bills above):
– No on SB 9
– No on SB 2
– No on AB 101
Personal highlight: Davies was one of just three Republicans to co-author bipartisan legislation, still in the works, to expand access to telehealth services for Medi-Cal recipients.