Mark Hedlund, the Communications Director for California State Senate President Darrell Steinberg, issued the following statement regarding the measures which the senate leader has chosen to take regarding the revelations of three state senators indicted or convicted of felonies -- all Democrats, despite the subtle black-out from the mainstream media which tends to shield the political affiliation of corrupted or indicted Democrats time and again.
With Hedlund's comments in bold, and the truth behind these statements to follow, the residents of California will find a state senator who is protecting his Democratic majority in Sacramento at all costs, even in the face of a rising tide of corruption, bribery, influence-peddling, and even gun-running.
While the allegations are sickening to the Pro Tem, he has not moved for expulsion because in the cases of Senators Calderon and Yee they have yet to go through the court process and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That premise is a foundation of our system of justice. Expulsion is an irreversible act.
Yet even when Roderick Wright was a convicted felon, Pro Tem Steinberg pressured Calderon to resign (not Wright), even though he had been indicted, not yet convicted. What gives? I called out the Senate President for this hypocrisy.
In the case of Senator Wright, while a jury has found him guilty of the charges, the judge has not yet affirmed a conviction.
This stonewalling is unconscionable. It's not about a judge, but a jury of twelve who convicted Wright, rendering a guilty verdict based on testimony and evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. Next several weeks, huh? What took so long for this announcement in the first place? And for the record, this back-and-forth did not take place when a Republican state senator resigned following a felony conviction.
It’s important to note that even the LA District Attorney agrees that at this moment, Sen. Wright is not a convicted felon.
So what? A jury of twelve said "Guilty". On top of that, Wright tried to introduce legislation which would reduce non-violent felonies to misdemeanors, just after he was found guilty. Are you kidding me?
As you appear to understand from what’s written below, the State Constitution has no provision allowing the Senate to withhold pay if a Senator is disciplined short of expulsion. Our legislative attorneys have opined that the Senate does NOT have that power.
I am aware that Steinberg has introduce a constitutional amendment which would permit a suspension without pay. In the meantime, expulsion is the proper means, political expediency or not.
The three affected senators will not return to the Senate unless and until they are exonerated. The Pro Tem has strongly called for resignations but they have not. Frankly, it would’ve been politically expedient to expel Senators Calderon and Wright earlier because a special election would have filled those seats before the end of our legislative session with the strong prospect the Senate would then regain a two-thirds majority.
Expedient. Expedient. Expedient. Whether a special election would or would not fill those seats is not an issue -- and besides, such blanket confidence is not warranted, considering that Republicans have scored two victories and two close losses in heavily Democratic seats over the past year. If the Pro Tem is so concerned about perceptions, he would have moved to expel, which would have been a final move, certainly, and would have granted those local constituencies the opportunity to elect another representative with more integrity and a less checkered resume.
They are still collecting a pay check, millions of law-abiding Californians want to leave.
They are tired of the tax-and-spend, regulate-frustrate legislature which caters to unions and not the Union, which spends money that the state does not have, while pushing for carbon taxes, plastic bag bans, making it harder to start a business, find a job, and prosper. Transgendered bathrooms in public schools, yet the state senate kills school choice. Driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, yet one state senator attempted to triple the car tax. The new school funding formula gives poor-performing schools more money, neglecting the the high-performing schools, as if academic excellence does not deserve to be recognized. No wonder Californians are fed up!
The decisions are difficult and not necessarily popular, which shows why being a leader means you have to act with a high level of integrity and take the criticism that comes along with it. As he has done throughout his career, Sen. Steinberg is willing to put what he believes is right above what is popular.
No, Mr. Hedlund, these decisions are not difficult. If the legislators in Sacramento spent more time listening to the voters and even the Editorial Board of newspapers throughout the state of California. Bear in mind that I have been a vocal critic of the liberal-progressive bent of the Editorial writers in many California papers, but their demand for a quick removal of these corrupted and indicted state senators is a proper judgment.
Today, I join with a growing number of California residents and United States citizens, both born and naturalized, who shout:
#ImTiredOfThis
and
#MakeSacListen