Press Democrat exposes Senator Pat Wiggins shocking outburst in Senate hearing over an empty water canister.

In case you haven't heard about this story out of Sacramento this week, I had to POST this article from the Press Democrat Newspaper from Santa Rosa.  visit the Press Democrat at http://www.pressdemocrat.com/.  I feel sorry for Senator Wiggins, and can only pray for her health.  There comes a point in life when elected officials need to be "removed" from office for ALL of our good.  This is one of those cases.  Agree? Disagree? 

Randy

FROM THE PRESS DEMOCRAT:

Sen. Pat Wiggins shocked onlookers in a packed committee hearing in Sacramento this week when she screamed repeatedly about a water canister that had gone unfilled and she appeared to advance threateningly toward another senator.

Only after security staff moved in and an aide for Wiggins intervened did the 69-year-old Santa Rosa Democrat end the tirade that lasted several minutes.

“It looked like she was going after another senator and totally disrupting the committee,” said a Senate staffer who witnessed the incident. “They tried to proceed as best as they could given the situation. It was pretty shocking.”

The episode, which occurred Wednesday during a meeting of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, represented the latest disturbing outburst for Wiggins, whose odd behavior over the past two years has led to concern she is seriously ill.

Wiggins cited health problems last August when she abandoned her bid for a second four-year term in office. But she and her staff have steadfastly refused to detail those health problems even as they insist they do not prevent her from doing her job.

David Miller, the senator's press aide, declined comment Thursday, but told the Sacramento Bee that it's not “a secret that she (Wiggins) has a medical condition for which she's being treated.”

Miller added that the condition “does not affect her ability to do her job as a senator. But it can make her irritable, and when she's irritable, she lets it be known.”

The senator also has a well-documented hearing problem that her staff says can make it appear as if she is angry or disoriented when she is not.

Wednesday's outburst occurred after members of the audit committee comprised of members of the Senate and Assembly returned to the hearing room following lunch.

The committee agenda included requests for audits of the state Administrative Office of the Courts, school nutrition programs at charter schools and the Every Woman Counts program that offers free breast cancer screening services.

Wiggins got up to refill her water glass but after finding the container empty began screaming, “When are you going to get that stupid stuff?” — apparently directing her ire at committee staff, according to the Senate staffer who witnessed the incident.

Wiggins also walked toward Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, in what some observers interpreted as a threatening gesture. A member of the Capitol security team moved behind Wolk, the Senate staffer said.
A call to Wolk's office seeking comment was returned by Nathan Barankin, a spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.  Barankin, who was not present at the committee hearing, said based on his conversations with Wolk's staff the senator never felt threatened by Wiggins.

He speculated that what some viewed as a threatening move on the part of Wiggins may have been the senator reaching for water in the vicinity of where Wolk sat. “It looked like something different than it was,” Barankin said.  Barankin reiterated Steinberg's previous position that Wiggins is capable of performing the “core duties” of her job, which Barankin defined as being able to conduct business on the Senate floor, evaluating issues and voting.

Asked whether Wednesday's outburst had caused Steinberg to re-evaluate that position, Barankin said, “I'm not going to offer an opinion on something I've heard from others.”

Wiggins did not otherwise participate Wednesday in the discussions regarding committee business, except to cast her vote on whether to approve an audit. One of those votes had to be recalled so that Wiggins could change her vote, all the while with her aide advising her, the Senate staffer said.

Steinberg and Wiggins' staff insist it is up to her whether to discuss her health problems or continue with her job. She has another 10 months in office.  Wiggins did, however, give up six committee posts this year and stepped down as chairwoman of the influential Local Government committee while she undergoes treatment for her medical condition.

Wiggins' staff insisted the re-assignments were at the senator's request and not something forced on her by Senate leadership.  Concerns about Wiggins' stability first aired publicly in 2008 after she swore at a minister testifying in a committee on global warming, exclaiming, “Excuse me, but I think your arguments are bull----.”

Cal-Channel, which televises Capitol proceedings, stopped televising local government hearings that Wiggins chaired. Wednesday's audit committee hearing also was not televised.

Drop me a note to RREconomy@aol.com, or click the headline from this Post and tell me what you think!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Be Afraid? Be Very Afraid? (talkingpointsmemo.com)