Senator faces charges of accepting $100K in kickbacks
By Don Thompson
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California state lawmaker facing federal corruption charges alleging he took kickbacks while in office said Sunday evening he has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the Legislature while he awaits trial.
The departure of Sen. Ron Calderon deprives Senate Democrats of the two-thirds margin they need in the 40-member chamber to raise taxes, pass emergency legislation, override gubernatorial vetoes and put constitutional amendments before voters without Republican cooperation.
Calderon said in a statement that he wasn’t resigning but will take time to focus on fighting the charges against him.
“I do not want to distract from the important work of the Senate and my colleagues on serious issues affecting my constituents and the people of California,” he said.
He said that because of the complexity of the charges, he expects a lengthy leave stretching until the end of the legislative session in August.
Calderon sent Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg the request for leave Sunday evening.
Calderon was arraigned last Monday on charges that he accepted bribes totaling $100,000 in cash and trips, funneling some of the money to his children.
He pleaded not guilty, but his fellow Democrats had given him until this coming Monday to resign, take leave or face being suspended.
By taking leave, Calderon will continue receiving his $95,291 salary but not the $163 daily expense payment he would get if he were traveling to Sacramento.
Steinberg, D-Sacramento, had said senators would suspend, but not expel, Calderon because he has not been convicted of a crime. But he and other Democrats called for Calderon to step down because he is charged with activities that Steinberg said “strike at the very heart of what it means to be a public official.”
Calderon, 56, is charged with accepting bribes from an undercover FBI agent who pretended to own a Los Angeles movie studio and wanted to expand tax credits for the film industry. He also is charged with accepting bribes from the former owner of Pacific Hospital of Long Beach to back legislation involving state workers’ compensation laws.
The Calderon indictments threaten a powerful Democratic political family. His brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, pleaded not guilty last week to eight counts of money laundering and conspiracy resulting from the same federal investigation.
