Arrogance unlimited for lawmakers who break the law
Mercury News Editorial
Posted: 04/26/2012 05:50:23 PM PDT
What's with state lawmakers who think they're above the law? Where does such amazing arrogance come from?
The cases of Assembly members Roger Hernandez, D-West Covina, and Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley, reveal strikingly similar behavior: When caught, deny wrongdoing, blame law enforcement and then, when the evidence is overwhelming, issue a halfhearted apology and hope folks forget.
We hope they're wrong about folks forgetting. Coming clean may be painful at first, but it's what regains people's respect and trust.
If politicians hem and haw even when they're caught red-handed, how can you believe anything they say in public office?
Hayashi isn't even waiting for folks to forget. Having just admitted to shoplifting $2,450 worth of clothes from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco, she appears to be putting out feelers for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors' appointment to replace Nadia Lockyer -- who made the right decision, finally, to resign and deal with her personal problems.
Hernandez hasn't received as much attention as Hayashi outside his district, so here's the update. Concord police last month spotted him in a state-issued car weaving and not using turn signals. He refused a Breathalyzer test, but a blood test was taken after his arrest.
His defense: The police didn't have probable cause to stop him. He was perfectly fine to drive. The blood test would exonerate him.
The upshot: They did. He wasn't. It didn't.
The new defense: "I may have made a poor judgment thinking that I was sober enough to drive after a couple of drinks over the course of an evening."
May have? Oh, please. A couple of drinks? You don't get a 0.08 percent alcohol-blood ratio from having two drinks all evening.
Then there's the apology "to my family, colleagues, and staff for any embarrassment I may have caused." More "may" weaseling. Plus -- his main regret is embarrassment? How about an apology to residents of Concord, where he put lives in danger? And to the police, whom he maligned?
Finally, how about explaining why a member of the Assembly health committee was driving drunk at 2 a.m. with a woman who is a Kaiser lobbyist?
Then there's the shoplifter. Caught outside the store with those expensive clothes, Hayashi argued that it was all a misunderstanding. It wasn't. The store was watching her because of suspected past thefts. She finally pleaded no contest, but even after sentencing she asserted that it was an "unintentional" and "absent-minded error."
She's term-limited out of the Assembly this year, but she should have resigned. And now she's asking about Lockyer's supervisor seat. What gall. The obvious appointment to the board is former Supervisor Gail Steele, who will not run again. Give constituents a break from the drama.
There is a right way to handle personal problems and serious mistakes while in public office: Quickly come clean, apologize without hedging or whining, and work really hard to earn back trust. Show some character. San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra did this after his DUI arrest last year, and now he's up for re-election with only token opposition.
Since Hernandez and Hayashi did not hold themselves accountable, we hope that in their next political outings, voters will.