Throughout the 14-year speakership of Willie Brown, Republicans flayed at him consistently because of bitterness that grew out of the 1981 reapportionment battle. New Assembly Speaker Robert Hertzberg is the first speaker in more than two decades elected by acclamation and without acrimony. Institutional memory also means institutional bureaucracy. Long-term legislators tend to become defenders of the bureaucratic creations they gave life to. One reason congressional reformers finally modified the seniority system was to rid the system of stodgy empire builders.
Term limits do the same thing.
The worst hogwash of all is the notion that only graybeards are capable of making laws. This is disproved by the occasional change of party, which suddenly elevates new blood to powerful positions. In 1995, Republicans took over the Assembly, ousting very senior Democrats from major committee chairmanships. Amazingly, the budget got out on time, the place did not fall apart, and, in retrospect, the Republicans did a decent and competent job the year they ran the Assembly. In the 1997-98 term, a closely divided Assembly forced bipartisan cooperation, and Republicans, led by former Speaker Curt Pringle, and Democrats, led by Speaker Bustamante, negotiated a relatively productive session.