Calderon is accused of accepting and soliciting 100 thousand dollars in bribes. He was arraigned today in federal court on 24 counts including bribery and money laundering. Senate leader Darrell Steinberg said, for now, his party is going to hold off on expelling Calderon from office.
“Senator Calderon has been accused of very serious crimes,” Steinberg said. “But he hasn’t been convicted of anything. And, thus, expulsion would be premature.”
Steinberg defended his decision not to take similar action against Democratic Senator Rod Wright. Wright was recently convicted of eight felonies for voter fraud and perjury after a jury found he lied about whether he lives within his district. Steinberg said the circumstances of the cases are different.
“I considered each of these situations on their merits,” he said. “And in my view, at the time, and now, suspending Senator Wright was not a recommendation that I felt was the right one to make to my colleagues.”
But Steinberg said if Wright loses his current appeal he will no longer be able to serve in the state Senate.
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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