THE CALIFORNIA Legislature has given state residents plenty of reason for disdain. Lawmakers cannot settle on a balanced budget, they are unable to cope with a broken prison system and they seem to be throwing darts when it comes to water reform.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse in Sacramento, along comes Assemblyman Mike Duvall, an Orange County Republican who apparently has trouble operating a microphone.

Talking to his good pal, fellow Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, Duvall boasted during a break in a committee meeting inside the Capitol on July 8 about his sexual escapades and extramarital affairs, which included trysts with two lobbyists. Did we mention Duvall was on the Assembly Ethics Committee?

Duvall admitted "getting into spanking" one of the lobbyists, also describing one of the women wearing "eye-patch underwear." How do we know all of this? Duvall told us. During this break he forgot to turn off his microphone. The tape made its way to a local Los Angeles television station, and it didn't take long before the world can see Duvall make a total fool out of himself on YouTube.

He resigned. The episode cost him his job, his reputation and perhaps his family. But then he thought he could save face. That's nearly always a bad idea and this case was no exception. Duvall further embarrassed himself by claiming his offense was "inappropriate storytelling." Well then,

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Pinocchio, perhaps you might explain that if that is the case, why the resignation? Miller claimed he wasn't paying attention. Yet, on the tape he asked whether the lobbyist liked being spanked. Yes, these are your lawmakers hard at work. How sad.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass pulled Durvall off the committee and began an investigation. One lobbyist works for Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based energy services company. Duvall received only small donations from that firm, according to campaign finance records. The Associated Press reports the second lobbyist was a one-time lobbyist working for several different interest groups.

Right now, we have no way of knowing whether Duvall gave special legislative treatment to these lobbyists. In fact, this may not be an isolated incident.

Bill Cavala, who worked in the Assembly speaker's office for more than 30 years, wrote in a blog "the Capitol community is like, in many ways, a combat fraternity."

He said it's not surprising that men and women in the "political trenches" should be attracted "at another level." That's no excuse for inappropriate behavior, especially when it's done on our dime.

Maybe, in a way, we should thank Mike Duvall. It reminds voters that we have had enough with these clowns in Sacramento who are more interested in party time than solving some of our most dire troubles.

No wonder people across the country now laugh at California. We give them plenty of reason.