Mervyn Dymally, (D Compton) says he "regrets" his comments about Assemblyman Hector de la Torre as racist....not exactly an apology.
LAT: Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton), who is being investigated by colleagues for distributing pseudo official-looking badges to campaign contributors, today apologized for calling Assemblyman Hector de la Torre "the most racist legislator I have encountered." De La Torre, who is heading the inquiry, had said flashing the badges was a crime.
In a statement that Dymally's office issued this afternoon, the assemblyman said:
Events in the past weeks have caused me to reflect on my intemperate statement about race and politics.I have been around long enough to know that you do not mix your personal feelings with public policy. I deeply regret my statement about Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, and it is my hope that this issue is now behind us. I support the Speaker's effort to develop a policy regarding the issuance of badges. I voted for the [former Assemblyman Rudy] Bermudez bill that prohibits the use of the state seal on unofficial documents.
Bottom line seems to be: Dymally isn't disowning his characterization of De La Torre but wishes he hadn't expressed it.
