Republicans Dig Through Democrats’ Garbage

On their first day in power in decades, Assembly Republicans were a busy bunch. They elected a new speaker, fired the longtime chief sergeant at arms, rearranged seating on the Assembly floor--and seized the Democrats’ trash.

In an intriguing episode quickly dubbed “Garbage-gate” by someone, Republicans on Thursday persuaded the attorney general to inspect a trash truck holding refuse tossed out by their rivals. At nightfall, agents were still sifting through the garbage disgorged by city trash truck No. 7604.

Democrats seemed amused by the whole affair, but Republicans said they smelled a rat: “That trash contains incriminating evidence,” Assemblyman Larry Bowler (R-Elk Grove) declared. “They were trying to sneak this stuff out and hope we wouldn’t find out.”

The “incriminating evidence,” Bowler charged, is campaign material. Under state law, elected officials and their staff may not engage in political work using state equipment or on state time.

On Wednesday night, Bowler said he received an anonymous tip that Democrat staffers were shredding some documents and removing boxfuls of others “under cover of darkness.” A brief investigation found no sign of shredding, but GOP staffers were warned to be on the lookout for irregularities the next day.

Thursday morning, Bowler got another tip--this time, that a municipal garbage truck had made a “special pickup” of trash hauled out of the Office of Democratic Services, where Democrats in the Assembly turn for partisan help on research and public relations.

Suspecting foul play, Bowler made a phone call and ordered that Sacramento city officials immediately return the white truck to the scene. He then called Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, who sent six agents from his Bureau of Investigations.

As reporters and the garbage truck’s stunned driver looked on, Bowler--a former sheriff’s deputy--reached into the rear of the truck and picked through the trash. There were 1995 desk calendars, soda cups, appointment books--and also a batch of old mailers from former Democrat Assemblyman Bob Epple, who was defeated in 1994.

“Look at this,” Bowler exclaimed, waving the mailer. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

As it turns out, the Epple mailer was not campaign-related. But Bowler displayed other materials--which he said were seized from Wednesday night’s trash--that had a political flavor. They included instructions for phone bank volunteers and precinct workers as well as stationery of the California Democratic Party.

“I predict indictments,” said Bowler, standing beside the truck with two other Republican assemblymen. “This thing could be big.”

Democrats disagreed: “This is all a bunch of pettiness,” said Assemblyman Kevin Murray, a Democrat from Los Angeles, noting that the mere possession of political material in a state office is not a crime. “There is no proof that anything improper occurred.”

A spokesman for the attorney general said investigators would fully review the truck’s contents and decide how to proceed.