Hollywood must just go mining in the halls of California’s government political bureaucracy for some of its ideas. The state’s Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (*yawn, we can barely stay awake*) is being sued by Claire Connelly, a former secretary who alleges that the board’s Chairwoman insisted she be a surrogate mother for the Chair’s baby, and then was punished when she refused (*oh, now we are awake – what?*).

This article from the San Francisco Gate detailed the claims:

[A] secretary’s allegations that the board chairwoman tried to pay her $10,000 to have a baby for her – and then punished her when she wouldn’t – [has] set off a charge that had everybody from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to state Senate leader Don Perata scrambling for cover this past week.

As Connelly tells it, Richardson called her into her office in September and explained that she wanted to have a child, but was already in her 50s. So she asked whether Connelly, a 31-year-old single mom, would be interested in being paid $10,000 to become a surrogate mother – although it would have to wait until Richardson was done with her board term so it wouldn’t conflict with her job as Connelly’s boss…

Connelly thought it over for a few days, then declined, she says. Richardson promptly turned sour toward her and began berating her regularly over the job she was doing in the office, Connelly says.

Once, she said, Richardson brought her dog to the office and told Connelly to walk it and clean up after it.

Commentary: You have got to love Governor Schwarzengger’s response to this suit (remember, California is the home of AB 1825, which mandates 2 hours of sexual harassment training for all managers every 2 years): “I will soon appoint a new chair for the board.” Schwarzenegger also mandated that the entire board “receive additional (sex harassment) training before its next meeting.”