Mixer: Yee and others get the soft Senate boot

The California Senate today voted to suspend three of its members: Senators Rod Wright, Ron Calderon and Leland Yee.

Wright (D-Inglewood) was convicted of lying about his residency, Calderon (D-Montebello) is accused in a wide-ranging bribery scandal, and Yee (D-San Francisco) was arrested this week in a round-up of characters who federal authorities say were involved in a gun-running-for-money operation.

The suspension doesn’t mean much, because the senators will still get paid their $95,000 salaries. And two of the Senators have already agreed to step aside anyway.

Wright and Calderon both represent LA area interests… two areas that, arguably, need solid representation in the Senate. Those voices will be silent, because those Senators won’t have votes.

In San Francisco, Leland Yee is the Democrat who was wrangled up in a scheme that, federal authorities say, weaves some very interesting threads into the world of campaign fundraising. Yee had been a candidate for California Secretary of State, before he withdrew from the race shortly after his arrest.

The California GOP is already putting out terms like “culture of corruption,” saying this is the result of a political party that’s gotten too arrogant in its super majority.

Joining us this week is Chris Megerian, Sacramento reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and Melody Guitierrez of the San Francisco Chronicle.