Open Mic Sex Scandal Finally Put to Bed
FPPC won't investigate Mike Duvall's alleged romances with lobbyists
By OLSEN EBRIGHT
Updated 8:40 AM PST, Fri, Oct 30, 2009
It looks like we'll never know if some lobbyists really do wear eye-patch underwear and like a good spanking.
A state commission this week decided not to investigate two lobbyists an Orange County assemblyman claimed to have sexual relations with. Assemblyman Mike Duvall, R-Yorba Linda, was caught on tape bragging about the alleged affairs.
"She wears little eye-patch underwear," Duvall said next to an open microphone during a lull in a committee hearing.
From there, Duvall crossed into the too-much-information zone. The full transcript has been posted online -- but be warned, it's not for kids (nor most adults).
On Sept. 9, Duvall -- the married father of two -- resigned from his position.
It sounded like the story was finally done. Duvall was out, and we all learned a valuable lesson about telling sexy stories near microphones. But watchdog group Common Cause wasn't finished.
The group filed a complaint on Oct. 14 with the Fair Political Practices Commission, the Sacramento Bee reported:
The watchdog group Common Cause asked the Fair Political Practices Commission earlier this month to look into whether the relationships violated the Political Reform Act, which bars lobbyists from performing acts that place elected officials "under personal obligation to the lobbyist."
But, as the Bee reports, there will be no investigation:
FPPC Executive Director Roman Porter responded by letter Wednesday, writing that the FPPC's interpretation of "personal obligation" involves a financial arrangement.
The FPPC's decision exhausts one of the last remaining avenues for determining whether the alleged behavior constitutes any legal or ethical violations.
Attorney General Jerry Brown and the Assembly Ethics Committee have already declined to investigate. So now, it looks like we'll never know what kind of underwear some lobbyists prefer.
And that's probably for the best.
First Published: Oct 29, 2009 4:51 PM PST
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