Nunez: 'I'm proud of success'***
Facing perhaps the heaviest criticism of his political career, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez on Thursday defended using campaign funds to pay for international travel and extravagant purchases - and insisted he hasn't abandoned his working-class mentality. Edwin Garcia in the Mercury News.
"The fact that I've been successful, that I'm the speaker of the Assembly, and I've represented California around the world is something I'm very proud of," Núñez said. "But that doesn't mean that I've walked away from my humble roots and humble beginning. I'm going to fight each and every day, as I have in the Legislature, for the people I most care about: the underprivileged, the poor, those who don't have a voice in government . . . "
Núñez's comments come at a critical time for a politician whose Capitol clout is arguably second only to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's. For the past six days, the 40-year-old Democrat with an affable reputation has been pummeled by news reports of lavish spending that contradict the image he cultivated over the years as a champion for the working poor.
***Nunez office late Friday put out these links to his news conference where he discussed the issue:
Speaker Núñez says all of the expenses questioned in a recent LA Times article were legitimate, legal and properly report expenses. Here
Speaker Núñez says he’s answered all specific questions that have been asked about specific expenses.
Here.
Speaker Núñez says trade missions are very expensive and he used campaign funds to pay for them to avoid spending taxpayer money. Here.
Speaker Núñez says perhaps its time to reconsider the current rules and laws that govern travel and gifts. Here.
Speaker Núñez he’s not interested in playing “gotcha politics” in the media over his legitimate expenses.
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/Newsline/Audio/20071012SpendingNunez5.mp3
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Los Angeles Daily News City Hall reporter Rick Orlov writes about politics on the local, state and national stage.
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