California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a lot of problems with a bill by Assemblyman Charles Calderon, D-Whittier, that seeks to make significant changes in the authority of the state's Judicial Council.
But she's particularly unhappy about the process used to put Assembly Bill 1208 forward, she told The Bee's editorial board Thursday.
She said she was not told in advance that the measure affecting the council she chairs would be introduced, and she said the version now awaiting action on the Assembly floor was never aired in committee.
Cantil-Sakauye said she tried to reach out with little success to Calderon, who further endeared himself to the chief justice by commenting that she was "attractive" during a hearing on an earlier version of the measure.
"The first thing I did was call him and say, 'Why are you doing this now?' " she said.
Calderon said it never occurred to him to call the chief justice before he introduced the bill. He said it also isn't unusual for some changes to be made as bills move from one committee to another.
"It is incumbent upon a legislator to call a chief justice to tell them they are going to introduce a bill?" he asked. "I understand that she's confused about the process because the Legislature isn't the courtroom."
>ELECTION WATCH
The California Supreme Court will rule today on what Senate district lines will be used in this year's elections if a referendum qualifies for the ballot. The court will post the decision online at 10 a.m., according to a spokeswoman. Republican-backed Fairness and Accountability in Redistricting is pushing to ask voters to overturn the citizens commission's maps.
>WORTH REPEATING
"Anyone and everyone in here, I'm sure, could qualify for several of those."
ASSEMBLYMAN CHRIS NORBY, R-Fullerton, commenting on the Assembly floor about documents suggesting that there are more than 280 mental illnesses or disorders
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