Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his wife Corina are separating after 20 years of marriage, the Daily Breeze reported today. This is part of an unfortunate patternof high-profile elected officials being unable—or unwilling perhaps—toachieve a healthy balance between their work and personal lives. Thejob of big-city mayor is such a demanding one, arguably more so thanserving as a state legislator or even a member of Congress. Is itpossible to maintain a strong family life and serve as an effectiveexecutive?

Some have said the California Legislature is reaching new heights with respect to decorum. Those people probably missed Sen. Tom McClintock's invective the other day. "Who the hell are you?" the arch-conservative repeatedly andrhetorically directed at colleague Darrell Steinberg during a debateover planning policy, according to the Associated Press. When Sen.Carole Migden called McClintock out for using profanity, McClintockrefused to back down, saying "I do agree that 'preferred growthscenario' is a profanity." So much for collegiality.

A debate yesterday between the candidates running to succeed the late Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald put the clear racial overtones of the campaign on display, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports. The district has a plurality ofLatinos but has been represented by an African-American for decades. Atthe forum, Assemblymember Laura Richardson, who is half-black, calledfor "our community"  to come together, an implicit references to thedistrict's African-Americans. Senator Jenny Oropeza, who is Latina,cried foul and reportedly make a private remark to Richardson which isin dispute. I hope the candidates can rise above these divisionsbecause this is not the California I want to rest of the nation to see.

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