EDITORIAL\Hit-or-miss leadership\More troubles for the Republicans in Sacramento.It's getting hard for Californians not to wonder about the Republican-led state Assembly. The latest in an embarrassing series of missteps was last week's indictment of GOP Assemblyman Scott Baugh Scott Randall Baugh (born July 4 1962) is a Republican U.S. politician, who served in the California State Assembly from 1995-2000, representing the 67th District in coastal Orange County, which included Huntington Beach, Cypress, Fountain Valley, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal in connection with the November recall election in which Orange County voters ousted Doris Allen. Keep in mind that nothing has been proven and there is always the possibility that Orange County District Attorney Michael Capizzi - himself a Republican - sought to time the indictments right before today's primary for maximum political embarrassment. Still, the accusations are hard not to take seriously. Baugh was indicted INDICTED, practice. When a man is accused by a bill of indictment preferred by a grand jury, he is said to be indicted. on four felony perjury perjury (pûr`jərē), in criminal law, the act of willfully and knowingly stating a falsehood under oath or under affirmation in judicial or administrative proceedings. counts and 18 misdemeanor counts of violations of the political reform act. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to prison, disbarred and forced to give up his Assembly seat. At the very least, Baugh will be under pressure to resign, which would reduce the Republican ranks to 40 - one under the number necessary for passage of most legislation - and threaten to derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. this year's Republican agenda. If anything, the public ought to anticipate even more of the highly partisan, nonproductive non·pro·duc·tive adj. 1. Not yielding or producing: nonproductive land. 2. Not engaged in the direct production of goods: nonproductive personnel. n. gridlock Gridlock A government, business or institution's inability to function at a normal level due either to complex or conflicting procedures within the administrative framework or to impending change in the business. that has gripped the Assembly since November 1994, when Republicans formed an Assembly majority. As if we haven't had enough. It started when House Speaker Willie Brown The name Willie Brown may refer to:
In June, the GOP leaders again believed they had the speakership in hand. But again, they were outfoxed by Brown, who orchestrated the ascent of Republican Doris Allen as Speaker (with all Democrats' votes and with no Republican votes). So the Republican leaders engineered the recall of Allen and the election of her replacement Baugh - a Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. corporate lawyer. With Baugh's support, Republican Curt Pringle of Garden Grove was elected Speaker. The irony is that the Assembly Republicans have been promoting themselves as a fair-minded alternative to the years of back-room dealmaking by Brown and his cronies. Then something like this comes along and Californians are left to shake their heads and conclude that "They're all the same." In truth, there really are dedicated and honest Assembly members on both sides of the aisle who are desperately trying to get something done for the state. But if the Assembly leadership lacks the surefootedness to carry out its difficult legislative agenda, then they probably aren't in a good position to do the horsetrading necessary to get their bills to Gov. Pete Wilson's desk. |
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