Sen. Wright’s conviction leads to committee shake-ups

SACRAMENTO -- A day after going on a leave of absence, Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) was replaced Wednesday as the chairman of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee by Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana).

Wright was removed as chairman after a jury last month found him guilty of eight felonies including voter fraud and perjury for lying when he signed forms indicating that he lived in his Senate district when he ran for office.

On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee appointed Correa to head the committee overseeing gambling and liquor laws. Last week, Correa introduced legislation to legalize Internet poker in California.

The Rules Committee on Wednesday also appointed Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) to replace Wright on the Senate Budget Committee. Wright was also stripped of his assignments to the Human Services Committee and Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

The Rules Committee on Wednesday also appointed Senate Republican leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar to replace Sen. Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) on the Senate Legislative Ethics Committee to address a potential conflict of interest.

If the ethics panel recommends that Wright be expelled or suspended, he would be able to appeal to the Senate Rules Committee, but Fuller serves on the Rules Committee as well.

That could have created a potential conflict issue if Rules has to hear an appeal of the Ethics panel’s disciplinary recommendations.

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