Convicted Criminal Democrat CA State Senators Rod Wright & Ron Calderon Will Continue To Be Paid
For lawmakers fighting criminal charges, there are times when slinking out of the state Capitol in disgrace is too good a fate. Like when they’re taking voluntary leaves of absence that allow them to continue to pocket their salaries.Rod Wright, a Democrat from Inglewood (but actually Baldwin Hills), started such a leave from the California Senate last week while seeking to have overturned his conviction for voter fraud for living outside his district and lying about it.
Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, has now followed Wright in the walk of shame, choosing over the weekend to take such an indefinite leave rather than face expulsion from the state Senate as he prepares his defense against bribery and corruption charges.
On indefinite leave, Wright and Calderon will continue to receive $95,291 salaries, though not $163 per diem payments.
That’s the law — the Legislature can’t withhold the salaries of individual members. It’s a bad law that should be changed, though Californians should hold their breath waiting for their representatives to make the fix themselves.
Meanwhile, if Calderon and Wright aren’t going to heed calls here and elsewhere to resign their offices, they should voluntarily give up their pay and thus salvage a small slice of their honor.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay public officials who plainly aren’t performing their official duties. Presumption of innocence notwithstanding, it’s not as if the two men are on leave because they’re sick. Their legal troubles have cast a cloud over their districts, their party and all of state government.
Wright’s absence leaves no voice in the Senate for the 35th District, which stretches from Inglewood through Torrance and Carson down to San Pedro. Calderon’s leaves nobody to speak up for the 30th, which runs from Huntington Park to Whittier and South El Monte down to La Mirada.
Of concern to Democrats statewide, the loss of two votes drops the party down to 26 in the 40-member Senate, below the two-thirds mark that constitutes a “supermajority” and would allow it to raise taxes, pass emergency bills, override vetoes by the governor and place constitutional amendments on the ballot without the help of Republicans.
The supermajority could be restored most quickly if Wright’s conviction in January is not overturned before his sentencing May 16, and he resigns. Then a special election could be held and a replacement — almost certainly another Democrat in a heavily Democratic district — seated before the legislative session ends Aug. 31.
Meanwhile, Calderon is likely to remain in office and on leave until he is termed out in December, unable to do the job to which he was elected but still pocketing paychecks.
Again, Calderon and Wright should resign and let their constituents choose new, unblemished reps. But if they plan to stay in office while disputing the serious charges against them, they should give up the pay they would have received during these leaves.
To contrive to continue to draw their salaries is an affront to their districts, and more evidence that they care more about their own wealth and comfort than about the people they represent.
Stand Up To Government Corruption and Hypocrisy – usbacklash.org