(California) State Senate suspends three lawmakers accused of crimes

[Newsjock]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The state Senate voted Friday to suspend three Democratic lawmakers, all accused of criminal wrongdoing, from office with pay.

The vote comes two days after Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco was charged by federal authorities with conspiracy to traffic in firearms without a license and accepting campaign funds in exchange for political favors.

Also suspended were Sens. Roderick Wright of Inglewood and Ronald Calderon of Montebello, who had both previously taken voluntary leaves of absence to fight separate criminal cases.

President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who in previous weeks had blocked Republican attempts to oust Calderon and Wright, on Friday said the allegations against Yee "changed my point of view." He said all three lawmakers should be treated equally.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-state-senate-suspends-three-lawmakers-20140328,0,4464252.story

[leftyohiolib]

1. "Senators are not above the law," Anderson said. he meant democratic senators are not above the law

[SoapBox]

2. OMG!

And LOL.

Mr. Rethug should have his part practice what he's preach'n.

That said, Yee and Calderon have stench about them...Wright's crime however is the he didn't live in his actual district? So where is he living? ...seems different than the other creeps.

[genwah]

3. CA state government; ALEC free but not idiot free. And, dammit Leland, white people are looking!!!

[Bufferey]

4. Just got up

Having a migraine, and I see this. Yee was selling to Kony, or did I get that part wrong?

[genwah]

6. Sorry, this may not help your migraine. My point was simply that as an Asian-American

I know how Ms. Sykes feels; a Chinese guy fucked up and I'm trying to be "dignified".

[JDPriestly]

5. This is a shameful state of affairs for the Democratic Party.

Success seems to attract sleaze.

There is a lot of talk on DU about supporting our party over anything no matter who is running as our candidate.

But we need to look seriously at a candidate's record with regard to corruption. Deals, back-room deals with other politicians, with campaign funders, with wealthy people in the financial sector or industrial sector, especially health insurance companies and the military-industrial and retail sectors are to be watched carefully.

Corruption is very common right now.

It is one of the things I distrust about Third Way and DLC, etc. (right-wing) Democrats. They are not necessarily corrupt. I am not accusing any particular individual of that. But their philosophy opens the way to deal-making that verges on corruption. Too much money in politics breeds corruption.

[ripcord]

7. I wish they would have just resigned

That way we wouldn't have to listen to the RW talk about crooked lawmakers getting a paid vacation on the taxpayers dime.