Commentary
California is going to suffer a great loss after the November election when state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Red Bluff) departs the Legislature because of term limits. He graciously answered questions about his lengthy time serving the state, giving his perspective on the worsening of the budget process. This is crucial work in the Legislature, because governments run on money.
Nielsen’s service in the Senate began from 1978-90, and he was Republican leader from 1983-87. He spent some years tending his ranch and raising his family, although in 1992 he was appointed chairman of the California Board of Prison Terms. In 2008-12, voters sent him to the Assembly. And in 2013, he won a special election to return to the Senate….