SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Reuters) – A prominent Democratic California state senator and gun-control advocate was indicted by a San Francisco grand jury on charges of corruption and conspiracy to traffic in firearms, according to court documents released on Friday.
The indictment adds to the troubles facing state Senator Leland Yee, who was arrested last week and criminally charged along with two dozen others in the same case. He has since been suspended with pay.
Yee, 65, is the third California state senator to face criminal charges this year in separate cases that have cost Democrats a cherished two-thirds legislative majority in an election year and prompted them to cancel a major fundraiser planned for this weekend.
Senate Democratic leader Darrell Steinberg, who has said that the charges against Yee “sickened” him, on Friday renewed calls for the senator to resign.
“Senator Steinberg renews his demand that Senator Yee resign, and resign now,” spokesman Rhys Williams said in an email to Reuters.
The party, which dominates both houses of the legislature and holds all statewide offices, effectively lost its two-thirds majority in the senate last month. Senators Ron Calderon and Roderick Wright were placed on paid leave of absence after Calderon was indicted on corruption charges and Wright was convicted of lying about living in the district he sought to represent.
Both were later suspended with pay along with Yee.
“The people of California deserve elected officials who embody the highest levels of integrity,” said Republican senate leader Bob Huff, who pushed for suspending the three senators. “It is very troublesome that we have three separate Senators in one year convicted or charged with various felonies.”
