Sep 9, 2009 10:25 pm US/Pacific
Woman At Center Of Duvall Scandal Revealed
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
The news that a Southern California Assemblyman was caught on tape boasting about affairs with female lobbyists moved at warp speed through the Capitol, crumbling a long career in politics in just a matter of hours.
One of the lobbyists that Republican Mike Duvall bragged about having sex with is a Granite Bay woman who works for an energy company, and now she has been caught up in the scandal.
Heidi Dejong Barsuglia worked in the Capitol for years as a speechwriter, lawyer and lobbyist, but her reported relationship with Duvall is threatening her career. Barsuglia is paid $130,000 a year as a lobbyist for Sempra Energy, and political watchdogs are beginning to ask questions about the consequences of the alleged relationship.
"The big question, from my point of view: Did Sempra Energy know she was engaged in this relationship?" asked Derek Cressman from the nonpartisan lobbying group Common Cause.
Sempra Energy released a statement Wednesday denying knowledge of the relationship, and said that their employee denied having a relationship with Duvall.
Duvall's admitted sexual exploits came while he was a vice chair of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee, where he authored 20 bills, one on electricity rates.
According to Common Cause, Duvall also voted at least three separate occasions against a bill that Sempra Energy was opposing. If an investigation proves Sempra knew about the alleged relationship, a criminal complaint could be filed, Cressman said.
"Bribery is illegal in California," Cressman said. "It would be illegal for Sempra Energy to buy a legislator a hot tub, illegal to buy a legislator a massage or any other personal service, so if they were paying for any sexual services to be provided to this legislator, that would be illegal."
The Assembly ethics committee started an investigation into the matter immediately.
Duvall received a 100 percent rating from Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative advocacy group, for his votes on legislation considered pro-family during the 2007-08 legislative session.
The group's executive director, Karen England, said the scorecard is based strictly on lawmakers' voting records, not their personal conduct, and that Duvall consistently voted in favor of legislation the group considered pro-family.
"It's unfortunate that he wasn't living it out," she said.
According to the Assembly's Web site, Duvall also was awarded Chapman University's Ethics in America Award in 2000 for his "demonstration of the highest standards of ethical integrity" as a member of the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce.
Before resigning, Duvall apologized for the comments on his campaign Web site and said he made a mistake.
"I deeply regret the comments I made in what I believed to be a private conversation," he said. "This is a private matter and I ask that everyone respect the privacy of all involved."
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