The backlash from the media and other Democratic politicians that California Assembly member Betsy Butler has experienced following her May 2012 no-vote on proposed legislation SB 1530 was undoubtedly a cause in her reelection campaign defeat, and her handling of the media chaos following her abstention was inadequate in conveying her true intentions.
SB 1530, a law proposed by Los Angeles-based State Senator Alex Padilla, would have subjected teachers and administrators in California’s public schools to immediate leaves of absence in certain cases. This by abolishing the committees districts currently use to decide whether a teacher could be fired when accused of misconduct regarding narcotics or abuse. Butler, along with three other state assembly Democrats, did not vote in favor of the bill.
In the wake of the Miramonte scandal, in which the Miramonte School District had to pay teacher Mark Berndt $40,000 to retire in the middle of his trial for sexual abuse, Butler’s no-vote brought her criticism from her opponents and the media. Eventually, Anderson Cooper aired a story on the failure of the bill in an August episode of “AC360” on CNN. The story suggested the four assembly members chose to abstain because they had been manipulated by the California Teachers Union, which had given extensive amounts of money to the politicians.
Initially, Butler repeatedly denied interview requests from “AC360” and other news programs. Her handling of the situation was completely inadequate. As of Nov. 7, she lost her reelection race to Bloom by less than 500 votes, undoubtably a result of her poor handling of the affair.
While Butler’s response to the media coverage of her vote was inadequate, her abstention is justifiable. Future legislation should be enacted that allows districts to place employees accused of sexual abuse, physical abuse, or use of narcotics, on unpaid administrative leave, with a requirement to reimburse the employees for lost pay if they are found not guilty or if the charges are dropped. Currently, leave is paid, which is absurd for situations in which the accused may be guilty.
Butler had reasonable justification in abstaining from a vote on SB 1530, as the bill was poorly worded and misguided. However, she should have made her reasoning clear when the media looked into the controversy. Butler’s handling of the coverage regarding her abstention was inadequate, and if she had dealt with it more effectively, she would have most likely won the California District 50 election.
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