SACRAMENTO The state Senate on Tuesday approved Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointment of veteran state employee Joan Borucki as director of the California Lottery, despite criticism of an expensive staff dinner held by the lottery last fall. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said Borucki's initial reaction was to try to shirk responsibility for holding the dinner to commemorate the lottery's $20 billion contribution to schools. "In retrospect, she's taken full responsibility, deemed it an inappropriate activity and assured us it would never happen again," Perata said before the Senate voted 32-3 to confirm the appointment. The dinner, held last...
