Never Fear, The Legislature Is Here

One can always count on the California Legislature to provide a few laughs around legislative deadline time. From my 13 years working around that august institution, I know that as the mercury rises and tempers flare, it becomes more likely that members will spend their time debating senseless resolutions on matters over which they have no jurisdiction, rather than tackle the meaty and critical issues facing the state.

This week, with the traditional deadline to move bills out of the house of origin at hand, the State Senate has added to the tradition. The AP report:

State senators debate about four-letter word
Lawmakers say senator repeatedly asked an offensive question
By Don Thompson

SACRAMENTO -- Has political discourse gone to hell in California?

State senators rushing to beat a legislative deadline Thursday took time out to debate whether the four-letter invective is too coarse for use on the house floor.

During debate about a regional planning bill, Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, used the word repeatedly to register his objections.

"Who the hell are you?" McClintock asked time and again, directing his comment to the bill's author, Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

McClintock said he was reacting to Steinberg's proposal, which he said would interfere with many Californians' lifestyle choices.

The bill would require the state to adopt regional transportation plans that encourage more urban housing, less suburban development and a decrease in traffic.

McClintock later said he meant no insult to Steinberg. Rather, he said he was objecting to "the authoritarian policy of this bill, that would dictate that all Californians live in dense urban centers and (that) our only transportation policy is to produce that result."

Other lawmakers said they were offended and castigated McClintock for violating the Senate's unwritten rules on decorum.

Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, asked McClintock to apologize.

"'Who the hell are you' is offensive," she said.

The public use of profanity by political leaders has led to a decline in accepted standards for their use, Migden said. Vice President Dick Cheney famously used the F-word during an argument on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

McClintock offered to apologize, but not for using the word some lawmakers found offensive.
"I do agree that 'preferred growth scenario' is a profanity," McClintock said, referring to language used in Steinberg's bill.

A fellow Republican, Sen. Dave Cox of Fair Oaks, jumped to McClintock's defense.

"In all fairness, 'hell' is not profanity," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, sided with Cox after consulting with the chamber's parliamentarian.

"We're being advised it's not a profanity," Perata said.

That ruling brought a quick response from Migden: "If the gentleman wants to stand by his insulting remarks, I believe that's his privilege."

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, sided with Migden.

"I don't think it's a matter of whether hell is a profanity or not," Kuehl said. "I believe it's a matter of comity on the floor."

Besides being described as the realm of the devil, hell describes "a place or state of misery, torment or wickedness," according to Webster's.

In an interview after the debate, Steinberg said that while McClintock's use of the word "was a little over the top, I personally was not offended.

"What he did was help me elevate the profile of a very important issue," Steinberg said. "We need to be thinking and acting regionally."

Steinberg's bill encourages more housing in urban areas as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It passed the Senate on a 21-15 vote and was sent to the state Assembly.

McClintock is a darling of the right, a conservative orator who often casts the Senate's lone dissenting vote or rises as the sole objector to legislation.

He lost a bid last year to become the state's lieutenant governor to Democrat John Garamendi, and has been a frequent critic of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In an interview after the vote on Steinberg's bill, McClintock said he believes no apology is needed.

"I know that Senator Migden has led a very sheltered life and is very sensitive," McClintock said. "But I can assure her that the word 'hell' is often used in church. If it's good enough for church, it's good enough for the Senate floor."

Sheesh...