The California Transportation Commission is one of our many boards that most Californians don’t really know much about. Heck, I’d bet that few outside of Sacramento even know such a thing exists. Yet over the last few weeks, there’s been quite the brouhaha.

Long story short: The Gov. re-appointed one James Ghielmetti, an SF developer (and Democrat), not once, but twice. He has served on the panel since 2003, with Arnold appointing him in 2005 and then again recently.  However, as Ghielmetti was proceeding through the confirmation process this year, he apparently thought better of Arnold’s plan to push P3s for road construction down the throats of the state. The Guv seemed content to simply apply pressure during the process, but when the Senate was set for a confirmation vote, the nomination was pulled.

The appointee to the California Transportation Commission, James Ghielmetti, objected to an administration plan to accelerate the expansion of private companies’ role in freeway construction. He advocated giving regulators more time to assess the potential effects of such a move.

Schwarzenegger, who has aggressively pushed public-private partnerships, then withdrew Ghielmetti’s reappointment to the commission.

But Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) agreed with Ghielmetti. Within hours, he and other senators voted Ghielmetti back onto the panel as their own appointee. In an interview, Ghielmetti said the governor’s chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, was behind the withdrawal.

“She saw this as a chance to get rid of me,” Ghielmetti said.

Ghielmetti said Kennedy accused him of conspiring with Democrats in the Legislature to change the administration’s plan, something he denies.(LAT  9/2/09)

So, now the “Democratic” chief of staff to the Governor is accusing the Democratic appointee of conspiring with Democrats? Has there ever been a worse “Democrat” than Susan Kennedy? I’m not one to generally advocate kicking people out of the party, big tent and all that. But if ever there was somebody that should not be able to claim that they are a Democrat, it is Susan Kennedy. She has been instrumental in pursuing goals which are an anathema to Democrats.