--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unlike Washington, the California…" description: "\"Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved that cooperation is both possible and essential to successful policymaking, while stubborn abs..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg" --- # Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved… ![“Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved that cooperation is both possible and essential to successful policymaking, while stubborn absolutism will have you trailing head lice in popularity polls.” quote by Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg) > “Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved that cooperation is both possible and essential to successful policymaking, while stubborn absolutism will have you trailing head lice in popularity polls.” [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cooperation in lawmaking yields effective policies, while rigid absolutism erodes public support. **In simple terms:** Working together works; stubbornness hurts popularity. Key Takeaway Collaboration is essential for successful governance. Themes politics governance collaboration public opinion Mood optimistic critical Type political commentary advice When to use this quote - legislative negotiations - bipartisan bills - community planning meetings Key Concepts collective decision‑making political legitimacy Practical Applications - encourage cross‑party committees - use consensus‑building workshops Questions to Reflect On - When does compromise become capitulation? - How can dissent be preserved within cooperation? A Different Perspective Cooperation can be slow and dilute bold reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) ## Related quotes > [Twice the Republicans in the California legislature tried to block my seating because of my trips to Hanoi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/twice-the-republicans-in-the-california-legislature-tried-to-block-my/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) > [I stand by my opinions when I know I'm right, Captain Phelan. Whereas you stand by yours merely because you're stubborn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-stand-by-my-opinions-when-i-know-i-m-right-captain-phelan-whereas/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I have a few different managers, and one of them hit me up today and was like 'I'm going to set you up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-bunting/i-have-a-few-different-managers-and-one-of-them-hit-me-up-today-and/) [Shane Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-bunting/) > [“People you don't like are pigheaded. Your friends are stubborn, or hold to their purpose.~Victor Radcliff”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-turtledove/people-you-don-t-like-are-pigheaded-your-friends-are-stubborn-or-hold/) [Harry Turtledove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-turtledove/) > [All Gaza's temples are torn down and burned and the city is cleansed of every belief but the Christian faith. The most stubborn opponents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsay-macmullen/all-gaza-s-temples-are-torn-down-and-burned-and-the-city-is-cleansed/) [Ramsay MacMullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsay-macmullen/) > [I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-have-never-had-to-face-anything-that-could-overwhelm-the-native/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [“Stubbornness is a weapon. People tend to draw it out when a sensitive part of their identity is threatened—be it dignity, honor, pride, desires,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/stubbornness-is-a-weapon-people-tend-to-draw-it-out-when-a-sensitive/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [I'm not afraid of having an agenda. I do have an agenda. It's a positive agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-m-not-afraid-of-having-an-agenda-i-do-have-an-agenda-it-s-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I'm basically stubborn. If anyone disapproved of my being influenced by comics, I simply ignored them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilberto-hernandez-guerrero/i-m-basically-stubborn-if-anyone-disapproved-of-my-being-influenced/) [Gilberto Hernandez Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilberto-hernandez-guerrero/) > [“I was too stubborn to really take on what she was saying. But we're all guilty sometimes of only listening to what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-pearse/i-was-too-stubborn-to-really-take-on-what-she-was-saying-but-we-re/) [Lesley Pearse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-pearse/) > [At first, I was stubborn about not wanting to become a city boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cain/at-first-i-was-stubborn-about-not-wanting-to-become-a-city-boy/) [Matt Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cain/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“I will have both of you," he said. "My Sentinel and my city. And the GP will learn exactly how stubborn we both can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-will-have-both-of-you-he-said-my-sentinel-and-my-city-and-the-gp/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [We're also fairly stubborn, I think, fairly independent. We have our share of difficulties with our federal government, although I've tried to as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/we-re-also-fairly-stubborn-i-think-fairly-independent-we-have-our/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) > [I'm a very stubborn woman and I'm from a very stubborn family of headstrong women. I have sisters, so the women rule the coop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-m-a-very-stubborn-woman-and-i-m-from-a-very-stubborn-family-of/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) ## More by Kevin de Leon > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [We can't cross our fingers and hope that President Donald Trump can 'learn and change.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/we-can-t-cross-our-fingers-and-hope-that-president-donald-trump-can/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [I'm not into political gamesmanship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/i-m-not-into-political-gamesmanship/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [California Democrats - we fight on the front lines - we don't equivocate on the sidelines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/california-democrats-we-fight-on-the-front-lines-we-don-t-equivocate/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [We will not lift a single finger or spend a single cent to be a cog in the Trump deportation machine, and we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/we-will-not-lift-a-single-finger-or-spend-a-single-cent-to-be-a-cog/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [While we need to provide leadership and stability to the world, we should do that through diplomacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/while-we-need-to-provide-leadership-and-stability-to-the-world-we/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [My mother passed away young - she died from ovarian cancer at just 54 years old. Her sacrifices for my sisters and I evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/my-mother-passed-away-young-she-died-from-ovarian-cancer-at-just-54/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [I grew up in the streets of San Diego, and I love this city dearly. I love this city. San Diego is my home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/i-grew-up-in-the-streets-of-san-diego-and-i-love-this-city-dearly-i/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [I know - firsthand - that California works best when everyone has the opportunity to succeed. It's a lesson that's hard to learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/i-know-firsthand-that-california-works-best-when-everyone-has-the/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [It is erroneous and profoundly irresponsible to suggest that up to three million undocumented immigrants living in America are dangerous criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/it-is-erroneous-and-profoundly-irresponsible-to-suggest-that-up-to/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [I don't believe that all folks who supported Donald Trump are racist. I think that there was a lot of economic anxiety, there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/i-don-t-believe-that-all-folks-who-supported-donald-trump-are-racist/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [In California, we celebrate our diversity. We celebrate who we are because we're proud of who we are; we're proud of where our families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/in-california-we-celebrate-our-diversity-we-celebrate-who-we-are/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [What we have done dramatically in California is lead the entire nation. For example, we have created more jobs in clean energy in California…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/what-we-have-done-dramatically-in-california-is-lead-the-entire/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [Yes, we absolutely need to eliminate the single-use plastic bag, but we don't have to eliminate the jobs of hardworking Californians to accomplish this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/yes-we-absolutely-need-to-eliminate-the-single-use-plastic-bag-but-we/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [As the youngest child of a single immigrant mother with a third-grade education, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd ever be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/as-the-youngest-child-of-a-single-immigrant-mother-with-a-third-grade/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) [Explore all 87 Kevin de Leon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) ## More California quotes > [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) Sam Hinton > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/) [Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/) > [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) > [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/) [Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) [Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved that cooperation is both possible and essential to successful policymaking, while stubborn absolutism will have you trailing head lice in popularity polls.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin de Leon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/unlike-washington-the-california-legislature-has-proved-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "California" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/unlike-washington-the-california-legislature-has-proved-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/539/kevin-de-leon-7780_california_unlike-washington-the-california-legisla_115118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unlike Washington, the California legislature has proved that cooperation is both possible and essential to…” — Kevin de Leon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kevin de Leon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unlike Washington, the California legislature has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/unlike-washington-the-california-legislature-has-proved-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/unlike-washington-the-california-legislature-has-proved-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```