Not pictured: Orange County Assemblyman Michael Duvall. (Photo: flickr.com)

Like most unscrupulous politicians, California Assemblyman Michael Duvall could have simply told Sacramento-based lobbyist Heidi Dejong Barsuglia, “Give me my cash now!” However, what was common knowledge in the California state legislature is now common knowledge to the public. Michael Duvall was having an affair with Heidi Dejong Barsuglia (as well as at least one other woman besides his wife). The “family values” politician (is that now C Street Band code for “have sex with anything that moves?”) was apparently very open about his exploits, too. So much so that he was caught describing them by a live microphone in a Sacramento assembly chamber.

Lurid and lewd stories

The Orange County News blog reports that Michael Duvall was letting the images fly during a break in a public meeting. It was vivid, it was lewd and Duvall had no shame. This is a man who had just been named to the Rules Committee that monitors ethics. Having an affair is one thing, but for a politician to have an affair with a lobbyist presents an ethical quagmire. If you’re interested, an edited version of his comments is included in the video below. I half expected him to punctuate his story with random “giggidys,” in deference to another Quagmire.

Giggidy

In referring to Heidi Dejong Barsuglia, a married 36-year-old lobbyist who works for an energy company, Michael Duvall, 55, made explicit comments about undergarments, playful discipline and various fluids. Apparently Duvall’s family values platform has room for multiple women, but no contraception. At least he had the indecency to drop clues as to who received his family emissions.

Duvall, who is vice chairman of the assembly’s Committee on Utilities & Commerce, was widely known to socialize with Heidi Dejong Barsuglia. Anonymous sources indicate Michael Duvall’s wife Susan remained in Orange County during the week while Michael was in Sacramento. Barsuglia would make public appearances with Duvall, and they would inevitably be “arm-in-arm.” It was, according to Sacramento media, “the worst-kept secret in Sacramento.”

Heidi Dejong Barsuglia is accomplished

Her background is impressive. Sempra Energy hired her as a lobbyist. She had a law degree and once worked as a speechwriter for former California Governor Pete Wilson. She also held an important post with the California Retailers Association. Her contact with Michael Duvall began when Sempra gave the assemblyman $1,500 in campaign contributions as a way of gaining favor for their desire to be able to procure electrical power from “environmentally sensitive sources,” writes the OC News. Makes you wonder what Sempra means by their Code of Business Conduct, which states, “We’ve built [the company's] rich tradition because of the emphasis we place on ethical business conduct and compliance with the laws and regulations that govern
our business. We don’t compromise on either for the sake of success.”

Once news of the affair broke on local Sacramento news, Duvall was barraged by interview requests. He’s ducked all of them so far, as has Heidi Dejong Barsuglia.

Michael Duvall, “consistent trooper for conservative values”

Giggidy! (Photo: winmatrix.com)

Assemblyman Duvall does like to put on a show. If theatricality translated into paycheck dollars for California assemblymen, then Michael Duvall would certainly be in the proper position to exclaim, “Give me my cash now!” He drives a Harley and drives his “family values” stance home in issues surrounding gay marriage, anti-war protests and more. Despite that busy schedule, he finds time to approve of bills to aid big insurance and government contractors.

The California Republican Assembly and Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) gave him a perfect 100 percent score for his “fierce” guardianship of “traditional family values,” whatever those are. When he accepted the award from CRI, Michael Duvall proclaimed that he would continue to “work to protect California families from constant assault in Sacramento.”

If you support family values

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And I say this with a straight face… then you know that sometimes it’s difficult to handle those little financial emergencies that come along. Rather than pretend that you’re committed to family values and ethics as Michael Duvall and Heidi Dejong Barsuglia have, why not make a choice that can actually HELP your family. Click the button and apply for a payday loan. You just might be saying, “Give me my cash now!”

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