Lieutenant Governor Candidate to Present Anti-Corruption Proposals in North County

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Ron Nehring will use a speech to members of the California Federation of Republican Women in Carlsbad today to discuss his proposals to remedy what he calls Sacramento's "culture of corruption."

Nehring, a former California Republican Party chairman, said last week the federal corruption and conspiracy to take part in a gun-running operation charges against Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, revealed "a culture in the Capitol that values power and influence over public service."

"We deserve to have a government worthy of our people," said Nehring, the best-known of the three Republicans among the eight candidates for lieutenant governor on the June primary ballot.

"There are two types of people who run for public office. The first type applies to those who run to become someone, to obtain a position. We should be wary of these would-be officials because once they win, they have accomplished their goal and everything else becomes negotiable.

"The second type -- people like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher -- applies to those who run in order to accomplish something, to put good ideas into action. While the Legislature must take steps to fight corruption, we the people must take the time to send true public servants to represent us in government, people who will be less susceptible to the corrupting influences that permeate the Capitol today."

Nehring's likely general election opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Saturday called for Yee to resign "for the benefit of not only himself to focus on his own problems, but the entire institution."

Newsom told KGO-TV, ABC's owned-and-operated San Francisco station, that Yee's arrest "is an exception. This is not the rule."

Newsom's call for Yee to resign came one day after Gov. Jerry Brown made a plea for Yee and two other senators also facing legal troubles to resign, calling it "the best way to restore public confidence."

The state Senate voted 28-1 Friday to suspend Yee and Sens. Roderick Wright, D-Inglewood, and Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, with pay.

Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, cast the lone no vote, saying the suspensions rewarded bad behavior with a paid holiday.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced May 16 for his conviction on five counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of filing a false declaration of candidacy.

Calderon is facing federal charges of accepting more than $100,000 in cash bribes, as well as plane trips and dinners, in exchange for supporting legislation.

—City News Service