California Senate suspends 3 Democratic lawmakers

California Senate suspends 3 Democratic lawmakers

By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press
Updated 11:14 am, Friday, March 28, 2014

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Democratically controlled California Senate has voted to suspend three Democrats who face criminal charges, after the latest lawmaker to be hauled into court refused to step down.

Friday's 28-1 vote in the 40-member chamber came amid one of the most severe ethical crises in modern times for the Legislature in the nation's most populous state.

The resolution prevents Democratic Sens. Ron Calderon, Leland Yee and Rod Wright from exercising any power of their office until the pending criminal cases against them have been resolved. Even so, they will continue receiving their $95,000 annual salaries.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg acknowledged the public criticism of the chamber but told his fellow lawmakers before the vote that "this is not what this Senate is about."

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/...rs-5357425.php

Quote:

---

Even so, they will continue receiving their $95,000 annual salaries.

---

Until the heat is off an they can come back?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Until the heat is off an they can come back?

---

They can only pay them until they are found guilty or plead guilty to a felony.

They can only come back if the charges are dropped or they are found not guilty.

Speaking of alleged transgressions, a Republican senator didn't answer a direction question about where, exactly, she lives. www.sacbee.com

THE LATEST ON CALIFORNIA POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

March 28, 2014

VIDEO: Mimi Walters avoids question about her residency

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalert...x212-88226.jpg
The California state senate suspended three lawmakers Friday: Democratic senators Leland Yee and Ron Calderon, who have been accused of corruption, and Rod Wright, who was found guilty by a jury of lying about living in the district he was elected to in 2008.

Residency questions have dogged many legislators, as The Bee noted last month, including Republican Sen. Mimi Walters who appeared at a press conference today following the Senate's suspensions.

Capitol Alert asked Walters to clarify where she lives.

PHOTO: Sen. Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Niguel, listens to discussion on the main budget bill as senators prepared to vote on the state budget on June 28, 2011. The Sacramento Bee/Hector Amezcua
VIDEO: The Sacramento Bee/Laurel Rosenhall

Categories: Video

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/03/video-mimi-walters-avoid-question-about-her-residency.html#storylink=cpy

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f19/rod-wright-...-fraud-310989/