As we reported Tuesday, an all-star lineup of California state political figures was touted as co-hosts for an Iftar dinner organized by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-California chapter at the state Capitol in Sacramento.
CAIR's release listed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenneger, leadership of the Assembly and Senate and 35 other lawmakers. The governor was not expected to attend. Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg was a co-host, but a spokeswoman said he did not plan on attending the dinner, either. Late Tuesday, after publishing our story, we heard from Shannon Murphy, spokeswoman to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
"The Speaker has nothing to do with this event," Murphy said. "We have no idea how this came about."
Similarly, a spokesman for Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Paul Krekorian said Krekorian found himself listed as a co-host merely by saying he would consider attending. Krekorian responded to an e-mail invitation saying he would consider the dinner if he were in town that night, said spokesman Jeremy Oberstein. It turned out he wasn't.
It's the second time in a month that California Democrats disavowed something that carried the official's name. In late July, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff claimed his signature should not have appeared on a letter from seven House Democrats to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that he meet with representatives of radical Islamist groups and reconsider policies spelled out in a list of grievances.
In that case, a Schiff aide blamed miscommunication between his staff and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who coordinated the letter to Holder.
These things can happen in politics. California's Assembly is in session, dealing with a host of thorny issues and Murphy indicated Bass wasn't going to try to find out how her name ended up on a host list in which she had no connection.
But it might serve as a little "buyer beware" warning for friend and foe alike. Don't show up hoping to meet all the high-powered names listed. And don't think a group has political clout just because of the names it claims are supporting it.