Capital Accounts is an occasional chronicle of the intersection of politics and legal policy in Sacramento. Click here for more.
“Pretty soon, they’ll get hungry or want to breathe, and they’ll come out with a deal,” he said.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata tried that � minus the starvation tactic � when he locked his members inside their chambers overnight last month. The only things that emerged were grumpy senators with complaints about their colleagues’ snoring.
Bruce Mann, senior partner and dealmaker at Morrison & Foerster, suggested appealing to legislators’ desire for the limelight.
“A lot of times we’ll have an agreement come together late on a Sunday night because both sides want to get a press release out before the markets open on Monday,” Mann said. “The market drives deadlines because that’s something neither party can control.”
Unfortunately, both parties in Sacramento are sending out plenty of press releases, but they’re usually taking shots at the other side, not trumpeting deals.
We decided to give the last word to a lawyer who’s been in the trenches himself: ex-Gov. Wilson.
“I was accused of keeping the Legislature in session for 92 days past the constitutional deadline once,” Wilson said. “My response to the legislators was always the same: You’re free to leave any time you like, after you pass the budget.”
