Democrats mum on Min DUI + Capitol honors MMIP + Wiener remarks on fatal shooting

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

DEMOCRATS STAY SILENT FOLLOWING MIN DUI

California State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, took to Facebook Wednesday morning to announce that he had been cited for driving under the influence the night before.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Min was stopped after driving without his lights on and running a red light in Sacramento. After an investigation, officers arrested Min for DUI and booked him into Sacramento County Jail. He later was released.

As Politico’s Jeremy White noted on Twitter, Min was featured in a photograph shared on Twitter by Senate colleague Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, at an event where lawmakers met with firefighters and construction industry figures Tuesday night.

“The after-hours schmoozing — often with Third House folks and typically with plenty to drink on offer — is as much part of Sacramento as the triple-digit weather,” White wrote.

Min did some apparent cleanup of his social media feed on Wednesday, with Rob Pyers of California Target Book noting on Twitter that Min evidently deleted a 2020 tweet describing a fatal DUI accident as “gut-wrenching.” Conservative political website publisher Jon Fleischman shared a copy of the scrubbed tweet on his Twitter feed.

It’s unclear what sort of consequences, legal or political, Min will experience.

A campaign spokesman for Min declined to comment any further Wednesday afternoon.

Also choosing to stay silent were Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, who had endorsed Min to replace her in the U.S. House of Representatives while she seeks election to the U.S. Senate.

And Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego? Mum was the word Wednesday.

You know who wasn’t silent.

Ben Petersen of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is seeking to flip Porter’s seat from blue to red, said in a statement to The Bee that “voters will rightfully question David Min’s judgment after this incident, but will California Democrats?”

And the California GOP released a statement wondering whether everyone who had endorsed Min’s congressional bid, which also included California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and a slough of other local, state and federal elected officials, would continue to support “DUI Dave.”

CAPITOL PLAYS HOST TO CANDLELIGHT VIGIL MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Hundreds gathered at the Capitol Wednesday evening for a candlelight vigil honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). They did so against a backdrop of a Capitol dome lit red to commemorate the MMIP.

Two California tribes have declared a state of emergency over the issue, the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Yurok Tribe.

The two-hour ceremony featured speakers including Simon Moya-Smith, an Oglala Lakota writer and journalist, and Bethany Yellowtail, a Crow and Northern Cheyenne fashion designer.

On Thursday, Assemblyman James Ramos, D-San Bernardino, who chairs the California Native American Legislative Caucus, is expected to open the Assembly session with a Native song and prayer memorializing MMIP; the Assembly also is set to consider ACR 25, declaring May “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Month.”

WIENER RELEASES STATEMENT FOLLOWING FATAL SHOOTING OF UNHOUSED TRANS MAN

Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, released a statement Wednesday, nearly a week after a San Francisco Walgreens security guard fatally shot Banko Brown a 24-year-old unhoused transgender man. The statement came after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office would not prosecute the security guard, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

“Banko Brown’s death serves as a reminder of the many ways our country and our community continue to fail our Black and transgender neighbors,” Wiener said in the statement. “His death is all the more tragic because it was preventable.”

Wiener noted that initial reports stated that Brown was unarmed when the security guard shot him. The senator said that businesses “must take appropriate safety precautions” to prevent shootings like this from happening, especially businesses that employ armed guards.

Wiener noted that Brown unsuccessfully tried to secure housing and other services but was unable to do so.

“Our continued shortage of permanent supportive housing and shelter beds mean we continue to fail thousands of Banko Browns every day,” Wiener said.

The senator said he is confident Jenkins “will conduct a thorough and transparent investigation,” and said that he will be monitoring that process.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Last night I was cited for a misdemeanor for driving under the influence. My decision to drive last night was irresponsible. I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse for my actions. To my family, constituents and supporters, I am so deeply sorry. I know I need to do better. I will not let this personal failure distract from our work in California and in Washington.”

- Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, via Facebook.

Best of The Bee:

• State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, a candidate for Congress, announced on Facebook Wednesday that he was arrested Tuesday night for misdemeanor driving under the influence, via Andrew Sheeler.

• Could Dianne Feinstein return to the Senate next week— and end a prolonged absence that’s making it tough for Democrats to win approval of a big clean air policy and confirmation of judges? Via David Lightman.