Stupid, Inappropriate Commissioner
California education chief's "dirty" crack to six-year-old girl
JULY 9--In a bizarre public gaffe, California's education commissioner told a child that her name, Isis, meant "stupid dirty girl."
Richard Riordan, the former Republican mayor of Los Angeles, made the comment during a publicity event last week at a Santa Barbara library where he read to schoolchildren (below you'll find a link to the video).
When Isis D'Luciano, 6, asked Riordan if he knew her name meant "Egyptian goddess," the 74-year-old politician replied, "It means stupid dirty girl."
While Riordan contends that he was just teasing the child, he apologized to D'Luciano, claiming that his joke was a "misunderstanding."
That explanation has apparently been accepted by Riordan's boss, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called the crack "unacceptable in any context," but has not moved to can Riordan.
