SacBee: Portantino "confused, disappointed" at removal

Shane Goldmacher blogs on the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert that Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, was notified of his removal from the chairmanship of the Higher Education Committee via an after-hours fax received by his office on Thursday night.

Portantino also told Goldmacher he "can't imagine how" his removal could have anything to do with his candidacy for the speakership. Portantino was one of the top candidates favored to replace outgoing Speaker Fabian Nunez, but lost his bid to Nunez's hand-picked successor and lieutenant in the Assembly, Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles.

Portantino said he was "confused" and "very disappointed" by Nunez's decision, and that as far as he knew his leadership of the Higher Education Committee was in line with the expectations of Nunez and other top legislators.

Portantino and L.A. Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, another top candidate for the speakership, where removed from their committee leadership posts late Thursday by Nunez. The speaker's office did not provide a reason for the removals.

But at least one high-ranking legislative aide I spoke to said such retribution was common in Sacramento's backroom succession fights.

"When you play high-risk games you have to be prepared to pay high-risk consequences," said the aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "That is why you have to learn to count to 50 percent -- plus 1 very quickly. Your life depends on it."

But the aide also said Portantino would likely bounce back quickly, in great part due to his fund-raising prowess.

"That is a skill the speaker and leadership will not allow to go astray," the aide said.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Alison Hewitt's story about reaction from local legislators to Portantino's removal, and its potential effects for San Gabriel Valley representation in the Capitol.