I wish I could say I was suprised to see Laura Richardson in the news again for her fiscal irresponsibility. But once again here she is.Yesturday, the LA DailyBreeze.com was reporting that Richardson's $1300 lease of a 2007 Lincoln Town Car cost more than any other representative in congress:
When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status.
She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who
lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.
They go on to point out that the freshman congresswoman is a veteran when it comes to having others pay the tab for her transportation.
But her history with vehicles has been similarly fraught. When she was a councilwoman in Long Beach, she crashed her BMW, abandoned it at a body shop, failed to pay a prior repair bill, and then racked up 30,000 miles on a city-owned hybrid in one year - apparently violating a policy against personal use of city cars.
In her brief stint in the Assembly, she leased a 2002 Lincoln LS for $304 a month - all but $36 of it paid for by the state. So Richardson was already well versed in the use of government vehicles when she got to Washington.
And just like with all her other financial debacles, she is hiding from reporters, leaving her staff to defend the undefensable.
About 130 representatives leased cars last year, according to a report compiled earlier this year by Taxpayers for Common Sense. Most were in the range of $400 to $800 per month.
Richardson's 2007 lease costs show up on a more recent congressional spending report, because she did not pay the bill until February. According to the report, her first bill was for $1,299, and covered a one-month period from mid-October to mid-November. She then paid a prorated amount of $2,035 for the 45-day period from mid-November to the end of the year.
That makes her lease $300 more expensive than the costliest car in the Taxpayers for Common Sense report. As of last winter, the newest member of Congress had far and away the most expensive car in the House of Representatives.
"A $1,300 lease is a gold-plated lease," said Keith Ashdown, chief investigator for the watchdog group. "Because it's federal money and not their personal money, they're not looking for the best value."
Rep. Diane Watson, D-Los Angeles, also leases a 2007 Lincoln Town Car, but she pays only $686 per month for it.
According to a former staff member, Richardson insisted that her Lincoln be specially customized, which may explain the high cost.
Richardson's spokesman, William Marshall, initially stated that Richardson is paying only $940 per month for her Town Car, but gave no documentation of that. After he was presented with the expense report showing the $1,300 lease amount, he declined to answer further questions.
"No comment," he said.
Oh.... But there's More!!!!!!
Richardson got the car from a local Enterprise Rent-a-Car office for her use when she needed to travel around her congressional district. The cost would not have been affected by her personal credit history, because it was paid for by the federal government. The price tag also did not include insurance, which Richardson agreed to pay for on her own.
At 8:30 p.m. April 3, a staff member was driving the car on the San Diego (405) Freeway, when he got into a crash. According to a California Highway Patrol report, the staffer, Henry Rogers, reported being struck in the rear by a white sport utility vehicle. The impact caused him to spin out and hit the center median and left major damage to the left rear of the Town Car.
The CHP report gives no information about the insurance on the car, other than to say that it was a "rental." But Richardson's subsequent actions suggest that Rogers may not have been listed as an eligible driver on her insurance policy.
According to the former staffer, after the crash Richardson required her district employees to buy additional insurance so they could legally drive the Lincoln. The former staff member did not want to be identified out of fear of jeopardizing future employment prospects.
Another former staffer said Rogers was not forced to pay for the damage to the car, but did not know how the issue was resolved.
Rogers referred questions about the crash to Richardson's spokesman, who did not return a call about the crash on Friday.
Richardson did not report the crash to Enterprise, but it is not clear that she was required to, given that she was self-insured.
Records also indicate that Richardson owes $83 for illegally parking the Town Car in Long Beach. The ticket was issued Jan. 23, in the amount of $40, but has since doubled because it was not paid on time.
One has to wonder, at what point will this disgraced Congresswoman offer her resignation? Knowing Laura Richardson, probably never.
But an even more interesting question is when will her fellow Democrats start asking for her to step down? Knowing Democrats, probably never!
1 comment:
This is one lady who has no idea what "shame" nor "personal responsiility" is so I'm sure she would not have enough sense to resign
Post a Comment