This week, on Take Two's State of Affairs:
- State senator Tony Mendoza is suing the California Senate. Mendoza was suspended earlier this month after allegations that he sexually harassed three female aides. In a suit filed Thursday, Mendoza calls the move “unconstitutional" and racially motivated.
Claremont McKenna's Jack Pitney calls the lawsuit "lose-lose."
Mendoza's probably not going to come out ahead. Certainly, the institution of the California legislature looks bad in this entire incident. Kevin DeLeon, now under attack from his former friend, Mendoza, is running a campaign for the U.S. Senate and this certainly doesn't help him either.
Also in State of Affairs:
- Former aides speak out. More harassment fallout as Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia faces new allegations.
- New gubernatorial candidate. The California governor's race just got a little more crowded, as former Clinton aide Amanda Renteria files papers to run.
Guests:
Carla Marinucci, senior editor for Politico's California Playbook
Jack Pitney, Roy P. Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College