Laura Richardson's driving for dollars *

She may have defaulted on mortgages and lost a home in foreclosure, but that hasn't stopped Rep. Laura Richardson from driving in style and at great expense, courtesy of the taxpayer. The lease on the Long Beach Democrat's 2007 Lincoln Town Car costs about $1,300 a month -- the most expensive lease of any member of the House of Representatives, reports the Daily Breeze.  Richardson's monthly lease, paid by the federal government, is much larger than the $400 to $800 a month that other House members pay, according to a taxpayer group.

While Richardson has leased the vehicle only since last fall, it already been involved in one traffic accident while being driven by a staff member. In addition, Long Beach police ticketed the car in January for illegal parking, a ticket that has gone unpaid.

The congresswoman has had a spotty record with government-issued autos in the past:

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.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: A 2003 Lincoln Town Car. Credit: Ford Motor Co.

* Updated to include Richardson's party affiliation

Comments

[poknj]

Rather than criticizing the Times for failing to mention that the congresswoman is a Democrat, how about giving it compliments for reporting the news at least? Years of unthinking prejudice and ideological lockstep cannot be undone in a single day. Instead, show some support for the reporter who is already under such grave mental and moral stress for being a recovering Democratheist. This is a brave step in the right direction. Show some support for a complete and successful deprogramming.

[ZZMike]

The people keep voting for her. They get what they deserve, and they deserve what they get.

[swift boater]

shoddy journalism not listing her Party affiliation. O, sorry, she's a Democrat. Just following MSM guidelines afterall. Carry on, nothing to see here.

[rb cason]

LA Times bias is showing again. What's the name of her party? Where are the editors?

[Ken Stuart]

The reporter is biased? What bull. He pulled this story from ANOTHER NEWSPAPER to share it on this blog. If he was biased, he wouldn't have bothered to write about Laura Richardson in the first place. So relax, all you haters, and go vent your ignorance somewhere else.

[Uncle Billy Went to Washington]

Why don't we just ask Jesus why he didn't notate her properly. Jesus? Is it more of a journalistic guidelines are much looser in blogs type thing?

[selective edit much?]

And yet the OTHER NEWSPAPER mentioned party affiliation.

[Darlene]

No mention that Richardson is a Democrat?

Typical left-wing bias at the LA Times.

No wonder this POS rag of a paper is shedding 250 jobs.

Sam Zell should shut this crap down.

[LiberalMedia]

Ahhh, the reporter is not biased, he's just lazy then by pulling another newspapaer's story without crediting the original source or reporter - and simply letting it appear to be his own work?

I'd say thats liberal bias, theft, and unethical behavior by any basic journalistic standard.

LAtimes hacks for Congress!

[Bruce]

She's not only Democrat, she is also African-American, but we'd be racist if we mentioned that, wouldn't we? Perhaps we "owe" her a 2007 Lincoln Town Car as a part of reparations, prior to Obama officially approving them if he is elected.

[Josh Epstein]

Long Beach Democrat voters must be as life less and unthinking as those '50's Zombies in the B movies. What else could explain Richardson?

[Dan Puroclean]

Amazing what some people get away with