— The California Legislature does some pretty despicable things, but this (Lawmaker loses post after running Oracle probe / Assembly speaker installs committee chair who is more sympathetic to governor) takes the cake:
Sacramento — The Democratic chairman of a committee that probed the state’s questionable Oracle Corp. contract and embarrassed Gov. Gray Davis was removed from his job Tuesday and replaced with a lawmaker who has been less hostile to the governor.
Dean Florez, the Democrat Assemblyman who blew the whistle on the stinky Oracle deal, was replaced by Fred Keeley, the wimp who made a name for himself in the Quackenbush investigation only to be aced-out of a State Senate seat by redistricting. Fred’s trying to prove he’s a Party Faithful so they’ll throw him a bone when he’s termed-out later this year. What a punk.