Posted on 03/03/2007 3:14:29 PM PST by John Jorsett
An attempted coup against the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus - instigated in part by local lawmakers - appears to have run out of steam.
Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, who heads the group of Latino lawmakers, emerged unscathed from an hour-long meeting of caucus members this week in a basement room of the Capitol building.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, accused Baca last month of disparaging her by allegedly calling her a "whore" in a conversation with California Latino lawmakers last summer.
Sanchez left the caucus, saying she would not return unless Baca apologized and major reforms were made to the group's leadership structure.
Her sister, Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Cerritos, and Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, both threatened to quit the 21-member caucus over the row.
Baca has maintained he never insulted Sanchez. Despite the accusations, and published reports that other caucus members wanted to replace him as chairman with Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., Baca was not voted out during a meeting Thursday.
"There was no vote," said Paula Negrete, a spokeswoman for Loretta Sanchez, adding the representative is no longer part of the caucus and does not plan to rejoin. "We are not making further comments on the matter."
Baca helped cement his position as leader of the caucus by being re-elected Wednesday to lead the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the group's nonprofit foundation.
"I look forward to leading CHCI as we approach our 30th anniversary next year," Baca said in a statement. "I will work hard to expand CHCI's services so we can get more youth involved in public service and civic life."
Linda Sanchez's spokesman, Jim Dau, said he hadn't talked to her about Baca's continued leadership and didn't know what her immediate plans were. He said she had been busy the last few days in her position on a judicial subcommittee issuing subpoenas over the firing of U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration.
"Her position is the same with the caucus as it has been in the past," Dau said.
Solis' press secretary, Sonia Mel ndez, said the representative was out of the country and unavailable for comment. She added that Solis remains a member of the caucus.
Last year, the Sanchez sisters and Solis joined three other caucus members in withdrawing from the group's political action committee after Baca used money from the PAC to fund his two sons' failed attempts at state offices in California.
Baca said the money was later returned, but critics accused him of using the funds without permission from other caucus members.
A plan to split the chairmanship three ways - a move that would dilute Baca's power and is supported by Solis and the Sanchez sisters - is slated to be discussed sometime next week.
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