Name that Party: Former California Assembly Speaker’s Son Arrested on Murder Charges

The son of former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez was arrested today on suspicion of murder. The elder Nunez’s party affiliation apparently does not appear in any state archives. That could be the only reason that it wasn’t reported by ABC Radio News when I heard it this afternoon, nor by the LA Times, TV station KTLA in Los Angeles, or LA’s CBS affiliate’s website.

This one is actually a bit of a mixed bag. Give credit for fairness where it is due.

Though Nunez’s Democratic Party affiliation was likewise missing from the print story on the website of the ABC affiliate in LA, they mentioned in their television coverage that Nunez is considered one of the “most powerful Democrats in California” (video on the same page). San Diego’s NBC affiliate mentions his affiliation in explaining that Nunez had to leave the assembly because he and fellow Democrats were unable to modify the term limits law. TV station KCAL in Los Angeles also reported it in the televised coverage.

I suppose those who failed to report it could always argue that the party affiliation of the speaker of the California Assembly is inevitably Democrat, and thus is so obvious it need not be reported. And a mixed bag of 5 not reporting, 3 reporting is not as bad as it could be. But does anyone doubt that 100% of the stories would have mentioned the father’s party affiliation if he had been a Republican?