At a time when California can’t afford to pay its employees, vendors or bills, the state now has to pay hundreds of thousands to a Vallejo woman injured when then state Senator Carole Midgen rammed her from behind after an erratic driving spree that had eight people calling 911. With state officials are calling on us to identify government waste, we need look no further than this case.
At a time when services are being cut and taxes proposed, Californians are covering costs for a former elected official who was not obeying the law at the time of the accident. In 2007, Ms. Migden pled no contest to misdemeanor reckless driving after the incident in which her state car repeatedly banged the median on Interstate 80, weaved across lanes and rear-ended another car after narrowly missing several other vehicles. This 30 minute joy ride has ultimately cost the taxpayers of California $335,000 in a settlement and another $25,000 in property damages. Meanwhile, Migden was sentenced to two years of court supervised probation and paid a whopping $710 in fees for the incident.
Even after her wild ride, Midgen was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) and earns roughly $132,000.
California’s taxpayers should not be forced to pay the legal bills for Ms. Migden’s recklessness. They were not in the car with the former State Senator when she decided to get in her Toyota Highlander and create 30 minutes of terror for other motorists. It was she alone and she should take responsibility, both legally and financially.