Lockyer accused of playing partisan politics…So what else is new!

Attorney General, Bill Lockyer has solidified himself in California history as one of the state’s most successful liberal partisan politicians. So it is hard to understand how accusations that he is allowing his partisan bias to interfere with his job as the state’s top law enforcement officer could come as much of a surprise.

The Los Angeles Times writes about a how Governor Schwarzenegger’s office, Republicans and conservatives demonstrate that Lockyer is putting politics ahead of his duties.

The Democratic attorney general has become, in fact, a major pain to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republicans and conservative activists who have been pushing their agendas in the November special election and beyond.

Lockyer — who under state law is required to review voter initiatives — has prompted complaints about what Republicans see as a liberal bias in his actions on four initiative efforts this year.

In the most recent case, a judge ordered a Schwarzenegger-backed redistricting measure off the ballot after Lockyer sued over a procedural flaw. His actions also have prompted the governor to delay his planned overhaul of the pension system for public employees and spurred the threat of another lawsuit by backers of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.

While liberals will try to dismiss these charges as political sour grapes, objective observers have to lend some credibility them considering they come from one of Lockyer’s former top aides.

But Peter Siggins, Schwarzenegger's chief attorney, said the process with Lockyer was a little more complex. Siggins comes with a unique perspective; he served as a top-level deputy to Lockyer for five years before he started working for Schwarzenegger.

Lockyer "asked question and would make suggestions," Siggins said. "But if you are deputy A.G., or even chief deputy A.G. like me, and the attorney general has a suggestion or a question, then you try to discern his policy perspective and you try to give life to that."

How bad is his bias? Keeping in mind the following:

1. Lockyer all but admitted guilt by rewriting the title and summery for the “Live Within Your Means” initiative.

2. In the title and summery of the Marriage Protection Amendment submitted by VoteYesMarriage.com the Attorney General lied when he stated that it would prevent domestic partners from visiting their partners in the hospital; as this has never been a right of marriage, but is based on hospital policy.

3. The AG had several options to deal with the clerical error related to Proposition 77. But he chose the most extreme; to throw out what was clearly the most popular initiative on the ballot, sporting the signatures of one million California voters.

4. While liberal city officials in San Francisco, on the order of their Democrat Mayor Gavin Newsom were blatantly and knowingly violated California law by issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Lockyer had to be ordered by the Governor to put an end to these criminal acts, an has yet to prosecute anyone for breaking the law.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. We don’t need the LA Times to point out the obvious. But it does show how far out there Attorney General Bill Lockyer has gotten. Even this liberal rag can’t ignore his blatant partisanship.

Craig DeLuz

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