Senators Rod Wright and Ron Calderon have both requested indefinite leaves of absence from the Senate to deal with legal problems. Wright is appealing his conviction on voter-fraud and perjury. Calderon faces federal public corruption charges.
The loss of Calderon and Wright means the party is now one vote shy of the supermajority. But Democratic consultant Robin Swanson points out the supermajority means less now that the state budget can be passed with a simple majority vote.
“Because we have a majority budget passing, I don’t think that you’re going to see the sort of fights that we’ve had over the years when it required a two-thirds majority to pass a budget in California,” Swanson said.
The Senate President has said maintaining a supermajority is important, but maintaining the integrity of the Senate matters more.
Republicans today Monday held off on calling for either Wright or Calderon to be removed from the Senate. Calderon will be termed out at the end of this year. Wright’s term is scheduled to end 2016.
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.
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.
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.
January 18, 2018New legislative efforts supporting the “Me Too” anti-harassment movement could change the reporting process for victims filing complaints.
October 26, 2017Women in California politics, protesting sexual harassment and abuse at the Capitol, distrust the response from legislative leaders.
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