Committee Head’s Remarks Prompt Member to Resign

Adding to the fallout from a rancorous hearing held this week that led to charges of racism, Assemblywoman Martha M. Escutia (D-Bell) has resigned in anger from the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.

She cited the alleged racist remarks, combined with what she called other unacceptable behavior, by committee Chairman Dick Floyd (D-Wilmington), as too much for her to put up with any longer.

Escutia said Thursday that she had grown tired of Floyd’s antics long before Wednesday’s meeting of the committee he heads, of which she was a member.

But that meeting, she said, was the one that “broke the camel’s back,” as Floyd, she said, demeaned her Latino heritage.

Hours later, Escutia submitted her resignation to Assembly Speaker Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno), who as of late Thursday had not named a replacement.

Floyd stayed away from the Capitol on Thursday and was unavailable to a reporter.

Now 66, Floyd has served in the Assembly since 1980, except for a break of four years ending with his reelection last year. Short-tempered, often rude, the profane assemblyman is viewed with amusement or revulsion by most fellow members.

Wednesday’s hearing featured Floyd cursing at a couple of minor league baseball batboys--during a hearing on letting batboys work night games--for wearing their caps in the hearing room. He also invited an attractive woman, whom he called “sweetheart,” to take a front row seat “where I can keep an eye on you.”

At another point, Sen. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) sent word to the committee that she would be slightly late but was on her way. After waiting some minutes, Floyd remarked: “Why do women always be less than honest?”

The comment that angered Escutia came after one of the batboys said that he also played baseball in a Mexican American league.

“Well,” said Floyd, in a reference to Escutia and Assemblywoman Diane Martinez (D-Monterey Park), who is also a Latina, “there’s a couple of votes for you.”

He apologized later to Escutia.

The boys had appeared at the hearing in uniform to testify in favor of the bill exempting batboys from child labor laws prohibiting working on school nights. The committee approved the bill.

Martinez, though holding her tongue at the time, said Thursday, “I was flabbergasted. The whole hearing was totally out of control.”

“I was trying to get off his committee anyway,” Escutia said. “He runs it like a circus.”