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Richard Riordan, showing all the kindness and compassion that Angelinos remember in our former mayor, has apologized for a rather tasteless joke he made last Thursday. A young girl visiting with State Education Secretary Riordan during an appearance in Santa Barbara asked our former leader if he knew that her name meant "Egyptian goddess." Riordan misunderstood the question and, thinking that she had asked him what her name meant, replied that it meant "stupid, dirty girl."
The entire exchange was caught on tape by a local television crew.
The young girl was understandably upset and Riordan apologized for teasing her. Both the Secretary and Governor Schwarzenegger have expressed chagrin about the event.