Petrelis Files

Sac Bee: Lesbian Senator's Meltdown
Forces Office Closure

The saga of Carole Migden's embarrassing and painful-to-watch years-long acts of self-destruction continued on Thursday when, after an emotional meltdown, her Sacramento office was shuttered by state officials.

I've never voted for Migden and didn't see her as an effective legislator worth supporting, but count me among those who would like to see her exit the political stage and take care of herself.

She leaves office at the end of November, when Mark Leno takes over the seat, for the great benefit and relief to the constituents of this state senate seat.

If you need a true political fright to scare you today, check out this blog at the SF Weekly. Rumor had it earlier this month that Migden was considering running for a seat on the Board of Supervisors, an idea that sends chills down my spine.

Read this excerpt from yesterday's Sacramento Bee story:

Sen. Carole Migden's Capitol staff was sent home on Thursday afternoon and told not to report to work on Friday, after the San Francisco Democrat was heard berating them from the hallway.

Enedina Hidalgo, the director of personnel for the state Senate, overheard Migden screaming, according to a witness to the event. The source said she entered the office while the senator was not present on Thursday, informing the staff of their rights.

Soon after, Hidalgo returned to Migden's office with Tony Beard Jr., the chief sergeant-at-arms of the state Senate. They told the staff to pack up their belongings and escorted them out of the building, the witness said . . .

When Sen. Carole Migden was directly asked about Thursday's events, Perata aide Lynda Gledhill sought to intervene, telling Migden she did not have to comment.

"They weren't sent home," Migden said of her staff, before walking away . . .

Migden suffered a bout of bad publicity during the campaign, especially surrounding an erratic 30-mile drive last May on Interstate 80 in which she careened off the center divider and later rear-ended a car with her state-owned SUV.

She later suggested that medicine she was taking for leukemia may have contributed to the episode.

A no-nonsense lawmaker, Migden admitted during the primary that her curt demeanor sometimes rubbed associates the wrong way. But she was unapologetic. "I make no apologies that sometimes it's a tough arena," she said at the time.