Politics & Government
Portantino: Staff Furloughs Have Been Canceled
The assemblyman claims victory over Assembly Speaker John A. Perez.
Assembly member Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada-Flintridge) announced Tuesday evening that the expected furlough of his office staff had been canceled.
Assembly Speaker John A. Perez, who had initially ordered the furlough based on what he said were budget overruns, sent Portantino a letter canceling the staff furloughs, the assemblyman's office announced in a statement.
Portantino has said his office was singled out because of his vote against a Democratic budget proposal; Perez has denied that.
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Below is the full text of Portantino's statement.
PORTANTINO CLAIMS VICTORY ON BEHALF OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF THE 44TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT
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“This afternoon I received a letter from Speaker Perez indicating that the staff of the 44th Assembly District would no longer face unprecedented furloughs.
Though I am thrilled for my staff and district, I am disappointed that the Speaker is holding on to the delusion that this was anything but retaliation for my independent budget vote.
It never made any sense to single out my staff and the half-million residents of the 44th A.D. because I voted my conscience.
As always, I remain committed to fighting for the issues that I care about and I’m glad we can now focus on taking care of business.”