Could your household disorganization lead to headlines in your local paper? In Los Angeles, the results could be catastrophic. Particularly if you are the wife of the city attorney.
The Los Angeles City Attorney is in hot water. Not because of Paris Hilton, but because of his wife's self-described disorganization. But is this problem all too common in busy homes with overwhelmed mothers?
LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has been fighting for years to make sure Hollywood celebrities do not get preferential treatment through the court system, particularly in DUI cases and probation violation. This is the reason Delgadillo condemned Paris Hilton's early release and fought to get her placed back into custody to serve out her sentence.
But apparently there has been special treatment for the city attorney, his children and his wife-- and some dirty laundry has surfaced with a Mulholland Drive-style twisting tale that speaks of entitlement and disorganization.
Reports say that city staffers babysat the city attorney's children. Delgadillos's wife has driven around Los Angeles on a suspended license, in an unregistered and uninsured car, with her children inside. Mrs. Delgadillo borrowed her husband's city vehicle, actually having an auto accident in 2004 that the city paid the damages for. The couple has been chronically late in paying over 5 parking tickets in the last three years. There is even a bench warrant out for Mrs. Delgadillo's arrest for a similar situation from the 1990s that she went to court about this week.
Is all this the tale of a wife overwhelmed with household responsibilities, a large home, a public official husband and two small children?
Here's what Mrs. Delgadillo said to reporter Miriam Hernandez on KABC-TV yesterday as various reports were surfacing from the past:
"All I can say is I was disorganized. I was. There's no excuse for it. ... but I'm not going to make excuses for myself. I wouldn't want my kids [to make these kinds of mistakes], and I can't do it. And you're right, I have to be more organized. There's no doubt about it. I do. There's no excuse for it. I made a mistake -- a big one. And as an adult, it's really embarrassing for me. I'm going to do my best."
"I have to say this is not an issue of entitlement. I was disorganized. These are my mistakes. I have to take responsibility for them. I think that the moment I became aware of it, I took care of it as quickly as I could. This is not an issue of entitlement. It's my disorganization."
How would YOU advise Mrs. Delgadillo?
Photo courtesy of flickr.