The Skinny

Look, we like Patty Berg. Really, we do. During her time in the Legislature, she routinely used her seat at the back of the Assembly chambers to talk with the press about life, the universe and everything. But here’s a little secret — that time is over. Of course, you wouldn’t know it by watching the Assembly floor Tuesday before the governor’s speech. There was Berg parading around the floor like she still belonged, walking from desk to desk, hugging and kissing whomever she could get her hands on. And then she went back to her old desk, took a seat, and watched the governor’s address from the floor. Sure, sure, former members get Assembly floor privileges and Berg’s presence didn’t hurt anyone. But it did stand out as a glaring reminder — in this time of fiscal austerity, Berg, an early supporter of Karen Bass for speaker, was hired by Bass to help out with “new member orientation.” (Do we really need to fly someone in from the North Coast for that?) Perhaps it’s time for everyone to move on … Speaking of moving on, looks like Jack Sieglock wants a rematch with Alyson Huber. Sieglock, a Republican, lost to Huber by less than 500 votes in what was considered a likely Republican seat in a strong Democratic year. Sieglock sent out a release Monday including a quote from former Assemblyman Dean Andal who said, “Sieglock worked just as hard, if not harder, than any Republican running in 2008,” Hmm, somehow we don’t think a general survey of folks involved in the Assembly Republicans’ election effort would say the same thing. Sieglock’s former primary opponent, Republican Paul Hegyi, is also running for the seat again.