California politics keeps digging itself deeper and deeper into a hole. Two Representatives, Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, are under full-scale investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and Jerry Brown’s office may have engaged in illegal tape recordings of conversations with news reporters. If these allegations are proven to be true, California could once again become the laughingstock of the nation, this time for political corruption.
Rep. Waters is under investigation for securing a federal bailout for her husband’s bank, One United. Rep. Richardson is being investigated for the suspicious circumstances surrounding her 2006 foreclosure, reacquisition, and potentially illegal gift reception. Scott Gerber, spokesman for State Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office, openly admitted to taping conversations with newspaper reporters without disclosing the fact or asking permission, seemingly violating California Penal Code Section 632.
As more and more evidence surfaces, it will be interesting to see how Californians respond. Will they be indifferent? Will they respond in a strictly partisan fashion? Or, will they make these potential indiscretions a significant factor at the voting booth? Stay tuned.