Portantino named Assembly Legislator of the Year in poll

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) was named Assembly Legislator of the Year in a reader poll conducted by Around the Capitol, a website for capitol insiders.

“He fought the man and won,” was one of the reader responses.

One reader voted for Portantino “for calling a spade a spade when combating overly zealous party discipline and calling for greater transparency in Assembly budget matters.”

The House Rules Committee had told Portantino his staff would be laid off and offices closed for six weeks because he was over budget. He countered that the move was made in retaliation for not voting for his party’s state budget. He was the only Democrat to not support it.

Earlier this month, Assembly Speaker John A. Perez canceled the furloughs and closures, which would have gone into effect last week.