Calif. state Senator Yee's arrest adds to Democrats' scandals



less State Sen. Roderick Wright, D-Inglewood, right, is greeted by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, on his first day in the Senate after his conviction for perjury, at the Capitol in Sacramento in February. The corruption and bribery charges leveled against state Senator Yee are the third embarrassing scandal this year for state Senate Democrats. State Sen. Roderick Wright, D-Inglewood, right, is greeted by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, on his first day in the Senate after his conviction for perjury, at the Capitol in Sacramento in February. The ... more Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 1 of / 13 Caption Close Calif. state Senator Yee's arrest adds to Democrats' scandals 1 / 13 Back to Gallery

The federal corruption and bribery charges leveled against state Sen. Leland Yee of San Francisco mark the third embarrassing scandal this year for Senate Democrats and their party, which controls both houses of the state Legislature and every statewide office in California.

Coming on the heels of recent tangled legal troubles of two high-profile Los Angeles County Democratic state senators - Ron Calderon of Montebello and Roderick Wright of Inglewood- Yee's arrest may now hand the beleaguered state Republican Party an opening in a midterm election year, political observers say.

"Sacramento turns out to be the 'House of Cards,' " quipped Bill Whalen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and former strategist for Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, in a reference to the popular Netflix drama about corruption in Washington.

Before Yee's arrest Wednesday, "Republicans could have one conversation with voters - what Democrats do with their power," Whalen said. "Now they can discuss not only what they do on the job, but how they do their job."

That means Republicans can now add a key issue to their 2014 political armaments - "ethics."

California Democrats, already challenged in 2014 elections by a more energized and angry GOP electorate, are now "at substantial risk," said Larry Gerston, a professor of political science at San Jose State University. "Right or wrong, people will begin to look at that Democratic majority as enabling a culture of corruption ... and this gives the Republicans an opportunity to take the ball and run with it."

Republican outraged

Underscoring the new terrain, California Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County) almost immediately issued an outraged statement about the latest scandal for Yee, a 2014 candidate for California secretary of state.

"Once again, the Senate has been tarnished by another FBI raid of a senator's capitol office," he said in a statement issued just after the Democrat's arrest. "There are hundreds of visitors in the State Capitol each day, and those who witnessed this morning's events have every reason to be concerned about whether the Legislature is more concerned about serving themselves than the people."

GOP strategist Rob Stutzman said Yee may represent a Democratic tipping point in a key political year. "You can now argue this is a real culture of corruption within the party in charge in Sacramento," he said. "And let's not forget - the (FBI) investigations are supposedly ongoing."

The Democratic Party's latest troubles with Yee come weeks after Calderon became the high-profile target of FBI investigations that resulted in federal corruption charges after he was accused of accepting almost $100,000 in bribes in tony meals and fancy golf games.

Faced with a possible suspension from office, the Southern California lawmaker opted to take a leave of absence - and will continue to take paychecks while he confronts the charges.

Supermajority was lost

His absence has already cost Democrats their two-thirds supermajority in the Senate and could undermine party leaders' efforts to pass critical legislation.

Earlier this year, Wright was found guilty of eight counts of voter fraud and perjury related to charges that he lied about his residence when he ran for office in 2008.

Republican legislators have pushed to expel Wright from the Senate, but he is on indefinite leave of absence until his sentencing, expected sometime in May.

Yee's headline-making arrest Wednesday creates at the very least a major image problem for Democrats, as voters may well "begin to wonder if the (Democratic) leadership there has just gone amok - perhaps out of complacency, perhaps out of a false sense of security," Gerston said. "When the numbers grow, that begins to pique concerns."

Already, Republicans watching the drama are raising sharp questions about Democratic leadership and the party's near-total control of Sacramento.

Yee's arrest gives the impression that "the state is back to ancient Rome, and that the party in power and the people in power are abusing the power," said Harmeet Dhillon, the chair of the San Francisco Republican Party and a vice chair of the state GOP.

"The Democrats have reached that position in California, where they are the bosses and they take advantage of the little people," she said. "There's a culture of corruption in Sacramento - and legislators are very cozy with sources of money. (Yee) in particular has struck me as someone who does not want to leave office under any circumstances ... but the people of San Francisco deserve better."