Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg is a devout Jew, so it’s not often you hear him cite the New Testament. But there he was on the Senate floor Thursday, quoting Jesus to the Pharisees: “Let he who is without sin among you first cast a stone.”
The context: An effort by Senate Republicans to force a vote to expel Democrat Rod Wright, whom a jury convicted a month ago of perjury and voter fraud.
“In my calculation, over a quarter of members in the minority party on this floor today have had their own residency status questioned at the time that they filed for office,” Steinberg said.
And as he led the charge to sidetrack the GOP expulsion motion, Steinberg promised to investigate Republicans alleged to live outside their districts too.
“That’s an interesting bait and switch,” responded Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff. He points out none of his caucus members have been convicted of any felonies – or even charged, like Democratic Senator Ron Calderon, who's the center of an undercover FBI investigation. “Those are the issues we’re dealing with,” Huff said after Democrats blocked the Wright expulsion motion Thursday. “The rest is just smoke and mirrors.”
Yet Huff has said he has sympathy for Wright, who’s taking a leave of absence as he pushes a judge to overturn his conviction on the grounds that the district residency law is too vague. And on Thursday, Huff suggested he would have opposed the expulsion motion had Democrats allowed a vote.
“There is a strong case to be made that there has been precedence, that a jury’s findings have been overturned, andwe should give him the benefit of the doubt,” Huff said.
Huff and Steinberg agree the law can be unevenly applied: one district attorney might charge; another might not. And both want to look at rewriting the law once the Wright case has run its course.Capitol Coverage
California Campaign Finance Regulator Resigns Before Election
May 30, 2018Fair Political Practices Commission chairperson Jodi Remke announced Tuesday that she will step down on Friday. It follows months of acrimony with other commissioners.
California Senator Tony Mendoza Resigns After Sexual Harassment Investigation, But Says He'll Run For Re-Election
February 22, 2018His resignation followed an outside investigation, which found that Mendoza likely engaged in "flirtatious or sexually suggestive" behavior with six different women, including former staffers and fellows. The allegations date back to 2007.
Report: California Senator Tony Mendoza ‘More Likely Than Not’ Made Sexual Advances Toward Six Women
February 20, 2018A summary of the Senate’s outside investigation comes after the chamber’s Rules Committee met in closed session to discuss Mendoza’s fate for the second weekday in a row.
Window For Sexual Harassment Complaints Could Widen Under New Bills
January 18, 2018New legislative efforts supporting the “Me Too” anti-harassment movement could change the reporting process for victims filing complaints.
Women In Calif. Politics Share What They'd Like To See Change
October 26, 2017Women in California politics, protesting sexual harassment and abuse at the Capitol, distrust the response from legislative leaders.
Comments