I'm posting this here because in California Fabian Nunez has been a huge supporter of illegal aliens. He's now been termed out after an unsuccessful bid to eliminate term limits. Seems to me he is the one playing the race card.

Núñez sees racial bias in attacks on his spending
By Jim Sanders - jsanders@sacbee.com
Last Updated 5:58 am PDT Thursday, May 22, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4

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Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, saying he now can speak more openly, is blasting accusations that he spent lavishly on overseas trips and retail purchases as racially motivated.

Núñez, who is termed out of the Assembly in December, lashed out Saturday during an interview on Spanish-language television.

The Los Angeles Democrat said he has no regrets over his spending of campaign funds, despite controversy over tens of thousands of dollars spent on high-priced hotels, wine, gifts and other purchases.

"Everyone's done it like this," Núñez said of previous legislative leaders. "The difference is there are some in politics who want to judge me in a certain manner.

"Because of the fact I am Mexican, they think I have to sleep under a cactus and eat from taco stands."

Núñez's spending included more than $47,000 in plane fare, more than $5,000 at a wine cellar in France, and more than $2,500 for "office expenses" at Vuitton, the Los Angeles Times reported last October.

In the interview on Univision's Voz y Voto program, Núñez defended in Spanish his accommodations in fine hotels overseas.

"What's a luxury hotel? A stay at a Sheraton? … I am, you could say, like a head of state. I'm the leader of the Assembly of the state of California. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Núñez's spending became a target last year in the campaign against Proposition 93, which would have altered term limits and allowed him to serve as Assembly leader an extra six years.

"The only thing that really results out of this is that groups that don't like Latinos use this as a weapon to inflame anti-Mexican, anti-Latino politics," he said.

Hector Barajas, communications director of the California Republican Party, called Núñez's racial comments disgraceful and disheartening.

"Questioning someone's expenses, especially when they're in public office, is something the public should do," he said.

Kevin Spillane, a GOP strategist who ran the campaign against Proposition 93, noted that the campaign also accused President Pro Tem Don Perata, who is white, of political corruption.

"Political corruption is colorblind," Spillane said.

Steve Maviglio, who served as Núñez's spokesman, said the speaker was justified in feeling that some people exploited controversy over his spending for racial purposes.

"You cannot deny there's some overtly racial overtones to this," Maviglio
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