Meet LA Times reporter Seema Mehta **updated

Any reporter still covering the Nicky Diaz non-scandal is covering unimportant blather.

There are important issues in California to cover.  Ten percent of California's workforce is unemployed, the government is billions in debt, the schools are a disgrace, and public employee pensions are bloated far beyond the ability of taxpayers to fund.  These are the weighty issues facing the state. 

But take a look at the media's coverage of the governors race and you will find tons of coverage of Nicky Diaz.  Which is beyond ridiculous.  The next press conference she speaks at should be relegated to page B17 if covered at all.  Diaz perjured herself when she falsified drivers license record and Social Security information.  And she is violating federal immigration laws. That’s 3 felonies we know about thanks to Gloria Allred telling the world her client is a serial law-breaker.    

So any reporter still covering this non-scandal is a nitiwt and starting today I’m going to choose one nitwit reporter to highlight.

Today’s Nitwit of the Day is LA Times reporter Seema Mehta. 

Seema Mehta  thinks  voters should know the very latest developments in the important case of Meg Whitman's illegal housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan.

Below is a tweet from Mehta from yesterday.

Wow, Diaz fires back at Whitman (!).  Dramatic stuff there!  Mehta links to her piece telling readers that Gloria Allred filed an administrative claim of $6,200 with some obscure state agency for work Diaz supposedly did but wasn’t compensated for.  I can't begin to describe how inconsequential this claim is.  Just know it is less important than a case filed in Small Claims court. And Mehta says another former housekeeper, Jill Armstrong, "came forward" to vouch to Diaz' claims about Whitman being mean or something.  Gimme a break.  But no matter is trifling to Seema Mehta if it has the potential to help Mehta’s preferred candidate, Jerry Brown.  

Thanks so much for bringing voters the important update, Seema.   I'm sure breathless reporting on important items like this have nothing to do with the massive layoffs that have hit your industry.   

FYI, Carla Hall is named in the byline but according to this profile, it looks like Hall is the junior reporter.

Update: Calbuzz and I have the wrong photo?

Update #2: Post updated to remove the photo I orignially posted; Seema Mehta said it wasn't her.

Are you happy with the media's coverage of the California governor's race?

California is facing momentous issues, but so far the MSM reporters covering the governor's race haven't been up to the challenge.  The media has been obsessed with the Nicky Diaz non-scandal, which isn't even on the scale compared to the weighty issues of billion dollar deficits and 10 percent unemployment and businesses leaving the state.  And that bugs me.  So starting Wednesday I'm going to highlight a reporter devoted to covering the Nicky Diaz non-scandal instead of the compelling issues.  Maybe I'll highlight one special reporter each day, as long as the non-scandal is being covered. 

After Greta Van Susteren finished with Gloria Allred, I think we can agree nannygate is a non-scandal

Via Gateway Pundit, here is Greta Van Susteren at her finest.

The Jerry Brown people have to be kicking themselves that Gloria Allred keeps going on shows to be quizzed by smart lawyers who pick her case apart.

Letter to Whitman: "... this letter makes no statement about your employee's immigration status"

Check out the last sentence in the "smoking gun" letter sent to Whitman in 2003.

Sacramento Bee revises headline to follow Dem talking points, implying the Whitman campaign admitted to wrong-doing

As the election gets closer, you can count on the media to do all in its power to keep the Democrats in power..

Check out what the Bee did Wednesday to the breaking news about Whitman's dealing with the illegal immigrant.

The first three words of the original headline - "Whitman unknowingly employed..." remain in the url.   (Click the image below to enlarge.)

Sometime after the piece was posted on the web, the headline was changed, deleting "unknowingly."

Below is a screen grab of the headline - "Whitman employed illegal immigrant, campaign says"- as it ran most of Wednesday:

 
The original headline follows the campaign's version that Whitman didn't know the housekeeper was illegal -- which is an understandable and reasonable position since the housekeeper was hired through an agency and the housekeeper had falsified documents. 
 
The revised headline puts an anti-Whitman spin on the issue, implying the Whitman campaign had just confessed to wrong-doing.  Which it hadn't.
 
Coincidentally, Gallup released a poll on Wednesday showing the public's distrust of media is at a record high.

I don't trust the Sacramento Bee to fairly report the news, and Wednesday's headline change one more reason.

LA lawyer Allred to file lawsuit against Whitman *updated: Whitman fired illegal immigrant who gave false information

This post has been updated several times, keep scrolling for updates.

LA lawyer Gloria Allred is apparently filing a lawsuit against Meg Whitman on behalf of a former housekeeper.  Sound kinda familiar?  Allred also surfaced during '03 recall w/allegations against Schwarzenegger.

People should wait and see how this plays out before leaping to conclusions.

Update #1: Whitman team is holding a presser, says the housekeeper confessed in '09 that she wasn't a legal citizen.  Had provided false information and was fired.

Whitman team is also pointing out Allred has been a Jerry Brown donor since 1982.

So far the Whitman campaign is doing a great job staying ahead of the news on this Allred lawsuit.  We'll wait to see what Allred has to say.

Update #2:  Press conference underway and the lawsuit sounds lame as all getout.  The lawsuit alleges unfair working conditions, pregnancy discrimination, firing for poltical reasons.

Update #3: Whitman camp says they are about to debunk the Allred/Brown publicity attempt.

Update #4:  The Democrats have their new meme: Meg Whitman employed undocumented worker for 9 years.  And the Sacramento Bee is following right along with the Dem talking points:  Meg Whitman employed illegal immigrant, campaign says

Update #5: Duane Patterson's take:  let me get this straight. meg hires woman vetted through an agency, pays $23/hr, fires her when she learns she's illegal, & meg's bad?

Update #6: Michelle Malkin gets it wrong.  Whitman campaign response to the Allred press conference is here.