THE BUZZ: KICKED OFF — It’s “mess around and find out” season in the California Assembly. With little time left to hear bills in policy committees before the legislative deadline in May, Speaker Robert Rivas is switching up committee membership and bumping some members off their panels entirely, according to a memo to the chief clerk Thursday, obtained by Playbook. Rivas and almost all of the affected lawmakers declined to comment on the reasons for relocations, but the move comes after several recent public scuffles between chairs and their committee members that had tongues wagging around the Capitol. Rivas made the following changes, the memo shows: — Removing Democrat Damon Connolly from the Utilities and Energy Committee and replacing him with Gregg Hart. — Removing Republican Bill Essayli from the Budget Committee and Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Education Finance and replacing him with Greg Wallis. — Removing Republican Marie Waldron from the Judiciary Committee and replacing her with Essayli. Connolly’s move came the morning after a hearing during which chair Cottie Petrie-Norris voiced harsh words for her colleague from Marin. He proposed legislation meant to make it easier and faster to build microgrids, which are sometimes used to preserve power in locales affected by public safety power shutoffs. But prior to Wednesday's hearing, it was amended to simply study the benefits of microgrids. Though he accepted the changes beforehand, Connolly still brought the bill up for debate, drawing the ire of Petrie-Norris. “That was just a master class in how not to handle a consent item,” Petrie-Norris said. “You have disrespected me and you’ve disrespected the time of our colleagues, and I unfortunately will not be able to support this bill.” The proposal still passed with nine votes, and after the hearing ended, the mood appeared lighter between an apologetic Connolly and Petrie-Norris, who chided him while joking that next time, she would throw the gavel at him. But the next day, he was off the committee. Rivas and Connolly both declined to comment. When asked about the reassignment, Petrie-Norris’ office referred Playbook to Wednesday’s hearing. Similar drama has been bubbling up in the budget committee. Essayli, a frequent critic of the budget process, has been catching heat for his not-so-frequent appearances on his subcommittee — eliciting resentment that’s recently spilled out into public. “It is interesting to me when those, sometimes, who complain the loudest are those who have not shown up to subcommittee hearings or submitted any budget letters,” budget chair Jesse Gabriel said at an April 8 hearing on early actions to reduce the budget deficit. Essayli, at the same hearing, attempted to interrupt the chair and was swiftly chastised. “You can explain to your constituents why you didn’t show up to those hearings,” Gabriel told Essayli, cutting off his microphone. Gabriel’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Essayli’s reassignment. Republican Leader James Gallagher declined to comment. When asked about the tense exchange — and his removal — Essayli said in a statement Thursday he was offering a ”strong, critical voice in the budget process.” “Evidently asking tough questions of the Governor’s Office is not welcome in the Assembly Budget Committee even when we are facing a $73 billion deficit,” he said. “I look forward to being the only Republican attorney on the Assembly Judiciary Committee and using those skills to scrutinize and question the language and authors of the bills before me.” Waldron’s office declined to comment on her removal from the Judiciary Committee. GOOD MORNING. Happy Friday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | 
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