Lt. Gov. John Garamendi will be sworn in today as the new congressman from the 10th Congressional District after winning Tuesday's special election to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher.
Garamendi defeated Republican David Harmer 53 percent to 42.7 percent in a district that stretches from the East Bay to Isleton and Walnut Grove in Sacramento County.
Garamendi's chief of staff, Mona Pasquil, will serve in an acting capacity as lieutenant governor until Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointee is confirmed.
Pasquil will serve an administrative function, carrying out the lieutenant governor's functions at the State Lands Commission and other panels.
But if the governor vacates his office or leaves the state, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, would become the state's acting governor based on the state's line of succession.
Schwarzenegger can appoint a new lieutenant governor, but the Legislature has 90 days to confirm or reject his choice. That 90-day clock would begin when the Legislature reconvenes in regular session in January. Or the governor could set the clock in motion earlier by calling his eighth special session for the purpose of confirming the lieutenant governor.
Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he has not decided on an appointee. Spokesman Aaron McLear said the pick is "not something we have focused on, but I'd expect we'd have something to announce in the coming days."
Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548.
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