On Saturday night, in the final hours before the midnight end of the 2023-2024 legislative session, California Democrats offered a master class in antidemocratic governing. In case you missed it, here are the highlights:

• As the final day began, the legislature still had “about 200 bills to sort through.”
• With around 45 minutes to go before midnight and several bills yet to get through, Democrats made the possibly unprecedented decision to limit debate to only 30 seconds per bill, despite massive pushback from Republicans who rightfully argued that these bills were big and impactful and deserved greater consideration than half a minute.
• Assembly erupts into “chaos.”
• For fear their exceedingly rushed legislating might hit a speedbump, Democrats voted to silence Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli on the floor who vociferously objected to Democrats’ antidemocratic maneuvers.
• As Assembly Democrats rattled through and voted on bills so quickly you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to an auctioneer, midnight finally struck, session ended, and more than a dozen bills were left without consideration.

While this unfolded on the Assembly floor, a separate storyline was unfolding on the Senate side. Gavin Newsom – bored and looking for things to do now that he realizes he won’t be president – called a special session on gas prices after throwing a tantrum that the legislature didn’t take up his bill on the issue.

Senate Democrats said thanks but no thanks, they wouldn’t convene for a special session. Newsom then said, joke’s on you, you are actually ALREADY IN a special session. Add to the mix Assembly Democrats who eagerly agreed to a special session, and it’s no wonder the Sacramento Bee called them “the worst threesome to run California in a very long time.”