Would you pay $1,300/mo. to lease a car? You already do.

Off topic but irresistible to those following the saga of U.S. Rep. Laura Richardson (pictured), the triple-default and single-foreclosure Democrat of Long Beach: the car she leases for official use is the most expensive lease of any member of the House of Representatives, according to Gene Maddaus of the Daily Breeze.

Maddaus: "When she arrived in Congress last fall, Rep. Laura Richardson sought out a vehicle that would match her newfound status.     She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car - the choice of many representatives who lease their vehicles at taxpayers' expense. But hers was distinct: at $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representatives."

Please note the phrase "at taxpayers' expense."

Better known for defaulting on three mortgages and losing one house to foreclosure, Richardson is fast gaining a reputation for inventive auto financing. The backstory from Maddaus: " When she was a councilwoman in Long Beach, she crashed her BMW, abandoned it at a body shop, failed to pay a prior repair bill, and then racked up 30,000 miles on a city-owned hybrid in one year - apparently violating a policy against personal use of city cars."

I know, I know, it's not a housing story. But I also know some of you are following the saga of Rep. Richardson's personal and public finances. For my money it's one of the better political stories to come out of the foreclosure crisis.

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Hat tips: Uncle Billy via e-mail, with a reminder from LAObserved.
Photo Credit: Rep. Laura Richardson, center, arrives at a fundraiser in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2008, via A.P.

Comments

[William E. Jones]

To quote someone (name forgotten), "I used to be outraged, now I'm just amused."

[E]

Sounds like she's well on her way to being a wonderful future president of our fine country.

[mike]

I WOULD VOTE FOR HER AGAIN...

HI EVERYONE...I'VE BEEN GONE FOR 2 WEEKS WITH NO E MAIL ACCESS...

[Anon.]

I like that you keep following this story, even if it is not all housing related. Keep following her!

[Chris]

But how could she effectively advocate for her constituents if she were driving some run down 1995 Kia Sephia or something like that? You people know she needs to look good in order to get them programs and things for the homies.

[areles]

Wow. This woman is f'ing unbeLIEVable. I'm so disgusted that I can't even find the words.

As a Long Beach resident, I wonder: can we recall her?

[areles]

Also:

Again, I'll remind everyone that Laura Richardson's district is quite large and serves many different ethnicities. Urban blacks, which are so cleverly [hint: offensively] referred to in the comments of this blog (Chris), are a fraction of Richardson's district.

Difficult as it is to imagine, plenty of Asians and whities had to vote for Richardson for her to be elected.

[NewYork]

If anyone knows of a site where I can sign a petition to recall/prosecute/otherwise punish this woman, please feel free to post it here. I'm feeling like Stephen Colbert right now and I need a place to direct my rage!

[joe]

Great. Your dog gets out and bites the neighbor... now lets put it on tv and dress it up in expensive outfits that were bought and paide for by the taxpayers of America. NO! NO! NO!... It's time to punish and reprimand. It's because of stupid stuff like this that the scammers of the world continue to use and abuse the hard working population.

[Ryan]

Something's fishy. You don't lease Lincoln Town Cars for $1,300/mo. They're aren't that prestigious or expensive of vehicles. There's absolutely no way a Town Car would EVER lease for that much. I'm sure you could get one for significantly less than 1/2 that price, easy. In fact, I don't think it's even possible to lease one for that rate.

[KateNonymous]

Is there some wonderful way she represents her constituents' needs that would balance out this unethical behavior?

[CD]

That's a real Glam shot of her ! She is a star now.
She is rolling in it, who are the 2 uncle Fester with her?

[RZ]

Wow, I can't believe that someone with her track record and ongoing bad decisions is allowed to help decide fiscal policies for this country.

[E]

I'm with Ryan at 12:26

$1300 more than those lease for.

Period.

Who did she lease it from?

Was there cash back at "closing"?

Very fishy.

[dontmatta]

I wonder what would have happened if she were a man.

[Michael Snyder]

I'm thinkin' it's time to re-define chutzpa. It's also time for California to get over their love of the Democratic party. The Democrat's continued support of this convict in training neatly removes them from any "moral high ground" and drops them into the same cesspool they say exist on the other side of the aisle.
$1,300 a month for a Town Car? Who are we kidding? Anybody want to bet $500 a month came back to Richardson?
This is who the voters choose to run the country's finances. Small wonder Congress is the sorry joke it's become. I could write another letter to Sen. Boxer, but we know nobody reads them anyway. Perhaps is I enclosed a cheque...

Speaking of persons missing in action; has anybody seen "lefty"?

[Moral Hazard Drives A Big Wheel]

Indeed. Will it turn out that the leasing company is actually a strip club in Panama?

Do the lease payments go direct to the leasing company (lender) or is she reimbursed. Per the article, her assistant told the reporter that she paid $940 a month for the lease -- still wow -- but then when confronted with the $1,300 reported he had no further comment.

This would indicate they are paying $940 and getting reimbursed $1,300. If this is true, the whole money-problems-at-mlk hospital-issue is more understandable, in retrospect.

WHY IS THIS WOMAN BEING PROTECTED?

[jaded]

what's the difference between her and the Congressman with the dirty money in the freezer?

[Chris]

Hey dontmatta,

doing my best Austin Powers -
...maybe she IS a man...man.

Seriously, if she was a man we could call her Marion Berry.

I can't wait to see her congressional assignments this coming term.

[land of the free]

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE STRIP CLUB LOAN
SHARK (OR WAS IT A BRIBE) EPISODE? AS FAR
AS I'M CONCERNED, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
THE NAIL IN HER CONGRESSIONAL COFFIN.

[cass]

I wonder if she somehow rolled what she owed on the crashed BMW into the new lease...?

[JW]

1. There's something fishy about paying $1300 a month to lease a Lincoln.
2.This woman is totally irresponsible and the voter's just re-elected her? Are the majority of people in her district on dope? She has shown a pattern of irresponsibility and should be thrown out of office. Is there any reason to believe that she will stop? NO!

There are too many scofflaws and scoundrels in Congress and it's the primary cause of why our economy is going right down the drain. Everybody is on "the take" (look at Chris Dodd) and the lobbyists for the large corporations are really running Congress. It makes me wanna puke!

[LA-renter]

I'm amused that Congress can't save us some change by going with a group rate...

Hey, maybe they could put the names and logos of elite campaign donors on the car body (like NASCAR)...

Two birds with one stone: incumbents get enticing ad space, and we're made aware of who they really represent!

[the problemwithcaring]

In fact, I don't think it's even possible to lease one for that rate.

Posted by: Ryan

Sure it is, if you have atrocious credit...

[TakeFive]

"You don't lease Lincoln Town Cars for $1,300/mo"

It's probably an allowance up to $1300/mo. Some of it may to pay for the driver.

What? You thought she drove herself around?