GOP lawmaker stripped of committee chairmanship after he says budget mess is not Republican's problem

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That was fast.

Just one day after the Sacramento Bee quoted Republican Sen. Tom Berryhill saying that the budget shortfall is "really not our problem," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, moved to strip the Central Valley lawmaker of his committee chairmanship.

In a letter to the Senate Rules Committee, Steinberg said he will ask the committee to replace Berryhill as chair of the Senate agricultural committee with Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres. The pro tem noted that "each member of the California Senate represents nearly 1 million people and we have a duty, regardless of party of philosophy, to actively engage in the serious work to address the challenges confronting California."

So what was it that got him in all this trouble?

"This is really not our problem," Berryhill, who represents Oakdale (Stanislaus County) told the Bee. "The Democrats own this, and we think that they should be giving us what the solutions are."

The comment raised eyebrows around the Capitol. We'll see if there's any more fallout.

Posted By: Marisa Lagos (Email, Twitter, Facebook) | January 13 2011 at 05:42 PM

Listed Under: California State Legislature