SACRAMENTO — Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has what experts say is a textured approach to dealing with his Republican foes on the budget.
The Oakland Democrat simultaneously plays villain and confidante, foe and pal. He's a partisan flamethrower who takes his rivals to breakfast.
Take last week, when Perata's opening budget negotiation move — demanding higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations — had the effect of casting Republicans as heartless country clubbers. Even as he attacked Republicans for failing to empathize with the little guy, though, he promised the wine would be flowing freely as budget negotiations got under way.
Soon — perhaps after next week — he is expected to send senators home so he won't have to deal with a rebellious GOP caucus as he tries to woo the minority leader, Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Fresno.
"He is incredibly smart as a tactician," said Darry Sragow, a Democratic political consultant. "He can play many steps ahead, and he can play at multiple levels, making several moves simultaneously.
"If you're trying to get somebody to do something they may be reluctant to do, personal relations matter a great deal," Sragow added. "Don likes to develop relationships with people he's negotiating against. That's the way he functions.''
His relationship with Republicans has been complicated by hardball political tactics he's employed — such as waging a recall campaign Advertisementagainst Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced. Still, in a gesture intended to lift the cloud over budget negotiations, he aborted the recall campaign shortly before the June 3 election. At the time, Cogdill said the move eased tensions.
Perata can also disarm his foes with charm and wit that often isn't on display in the partisan-charged public persona he carries.
Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Tustin, a former minority leader who worked with Perata in several budget negotiations, said the Democrat was not the gruff, prickly politician he's been portrayed as by his opponents.
"The times it was just Don and I were the best," said Ackerman, who was replaced earlier this year by Cogdill. "You could be perfectly frank and get things done quicker."
Last year, Ackerman was having difficulty getting his calls answered by Perata, but when the Democrat heard how frustrated his Republican counterpart was, he scheduled a breakfast for the two.
Ackerman takes credit for starting Perata's tradition of serving wine — he favors red wine — to his foes.
"We were stuck on one of the issues in negotiations, and I said, 'You got any wine?' and he said, 'Yeah,'" Ackerman explained. "After that, things started moving, and I said, we've got to do this more often."
Other Republicans had a distinctly different take on whether Perata could seduce his way to a budget deal.
"Don Perata might be the single worst schmoozer in legislative history," said Dan Schnur, a Republican political consultant who was former Gov. Pete Wilson's communication director. "Charming opposing legislators has never been a particularly strong suit of his. He's usually the obstacle, not the dealmaker. He's spent many years in the Legislature making more enemies across the aisle than friends."
Whatever energy he has put into gaining Cogdill's trust — they've met regularly since May, when Cogdill took over — it may be the action of a couple stray Republicans that gets the job done. Senate Democrats, who hold a 25-15 advantage, need two votes to reach a two-thirds requirement on the budget and tax increases.
Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-San Luis Obispo, could provide a yes vote on the Democrats' budget plan, observers said, as a way of repaying Perata for discouraging Democrats from running against Maldonado this fall. Another vote could come from someone like Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, whom observers said is still rankled over being replaced as vice chairman of the Senate Rules Committee by rival Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert.
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