Nuñez leaves the speaker's post

SACRAMENTO — Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, the gardener's son who rose from a San Diego barrio to one of California's most powerful posts, leaves office Tuesday having arguably fulfilled a vow he made when he was sworn in four years ago: to renew his chamber's prestige as "the house of ideas."

But by many accounts, the Los Angeles Democrat and former labor leader failed to keep another pledge: to restore citizens' faith in government.

As he hands over the sprawling, sometimes chaotic house to his fellow Angeleno and chosen successor, Democratic Assemblywoman Karen Bass, he leaves a legacy as one of the most effective leaders since voters imposed term limits 18 years ago. He put his name on landmark laws, but he also tarnished his public image with self-indulgent spending of political donations.

The longest-serving speaker since Willie Brown stepped down in 1995 after a nearly 15-year reign, Nuñez forged a productive relationship with a larger-than-life celebrity governor to tackle issues dear to Californians: global warming, school funding, the widespread lack of health insurance.

He brought order to a house known for rambling rhetorical debates, angered the unions that fostered his political career and excelled at fundraising, one of a speaker's key functions. He will leave Bass, he said, with roughly $4 million to use against Republicans in November, when every seat in the Assembly will be up for grabs.

But Nuñez also spent tens of thousands of donated dollars on foreign travel, fine wines, expensive meals, exclusive hotel stays and luxury goods -- expenditures not obviously related to government or politics, as state law dictates.

Designer goods

His spending is now under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission, which regulates state political ethics. So is his relationship with a small Los Angeles charity that funneled special-interest money raised by Nuñez to soccer tournaments, toy giveaways and other events that were organized by his government staff and served him politically.

Nuñez said all of the money went to legitimate political or government purposes and that traveling the world helped make him a better leader. He defended his collaboration with the charity as a legitimate way to help poor families in his district, and he predicted he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.