In a world where Democrats and Republicans in California are usually at each other’s throats, guess what? There’s a tiny flicker of hope – or is it just a glitch in the matrix? This year, less than 1% of the 2,278 bills filed in the California Legislature are actually the result of bipartisan teamwork. That means only 11 bills have both sides of the aisle waving their flags together, raising the question: Is it time for celebration or a defeated eye-roll?

As tensions simmer and partisanship seethes, the fact that a handful of lawmakers are playing nice might feel like finding a unicorn in the wild. Kudos to the handful of lawmakers who took the plunge into bipartisan waters! However, it’s still a drop in a very large bucket. With Democrats holding the ever-so-comfortable supermajority, the odds remain stacked against any real collaboration.

So, what’s been cooking in this bipartisan pot? Surprisingly, quite a lot! From funding Medi-Cal training programs to educational efforts for law enforcement, a few bills show glimmers of progressive intentions mixed with conservative pragmatism.

Take Senate Bill 246 for example, crafted by Democrat Anna Caballero and Republican Shannon Grove. This beauty is set to expand Medi-Cal funding and tackle the physician shortage, especially in those underserved areas of the San Joaquin Valley. Maybe the world isn’t ending after all!

But before we start throwing confetti, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of why this is all happening in the first place. Political identities can be blurry, especially for politicians like Senator Aisha Wahab, who comfortably oscillates between progressive and bipartisan campaigns. Let’s not forget that her district is a vibrant mix of Democrats, Republicans, and everyone in-between.

Then there’s the absurdity of “spot bills”, those half-baked placeholder pieces of legislation just waiting for details to be peppered in later. Almost half of the early bipartisan legislation falls into this category, which raises an eyebrow or two. It’s like promising to bring dessert but forgetting the cake!

In this toxic political climate, trans-partisan teamwork might be rare, but it isn’t extinct. So, what’s next for our dear California lawmakers? Let’s hope they figure out how to work together on real issues that impact our daily lives while ditching the partisan games that’ve gotten us here. Because if they can’t get their act together, we’ll continue living in a political arena that’s more circus than Senate. Fingers crossed for more unicorns… and fewer clowns.