Last week, Heath Flora, Republican leader of the California State Assembly, and Democratic Assemblymember José Luis Solache, Jr., joined PPIC president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye for a wide-ranging conversation about tackling the state’s most pressing problems.

Affordability is a top issue for policymakers from both parties. Flora, who represents the northern San Joaquin Valley, noted that affordability is complex because it means “different things to different folks in different regions.” For his district, he cited gas prices as a huge expense eating into families’ budgets.

Solache pointed to low housing supply as a critical cost barrier for his constituents in the southeastern corner of Los Angeles County. He added that if the state can build stadiums quickly by passing certain bills or granting exemptions to CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act), the state should be able to do the same with housing.

Artificial intelligence is already transforming the state economy, with wide-ranging effects on technology, law enforcement, health care, education, and other sectors. Flora noted that last year the legislature had some 52 bills addressing AI. He said a more consolidated approach is necessary, ideally one that considers the needs of individual industries and involves leadership from the federal government.

Regarding the state-federal dynamic, Solache emphasized the harmful impact of recent ICE raids on the immigrant communities he represents. “We cannot forget the humanity we all have,” he said. “If [the president] had sent agents to my community with specific warrants looking for specific people, that’s a very different reality than just coming and taking people.”

When asked about examples of cross-party collaboration in the legislature, Solache cited cap-and-invest and Flora mentioned online protections for children and youth mental health. Despite a divisive national political landscape, Solache affirmed, “I have hope that California can still lead and work together across the aisle.”

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PPIC’s Speaker Series on California’s Future invites thought leaders and changemakers with diverse perspectives to participate critically, constructively, and collaboratively in public conversations. The purpose is to give Californians a better understanding of how our leaders are addressing the challenges facing our state.

PPIC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. PPIC does not take or support positions on any ballot measure or on any local, state, or federal legislation, nor does it support, endorse, or oppose any political parties or candidates for public office. Any opinions expressed by event participants are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect any position of the Public Policy Institute of California.