Because our society values forgiveness and admires a repentant sinner, San Jose Councilman Ash Kalra won plaudits for the forthright way he acknowledged his drunken driving arrest last weekend.
Given the essentially ugly facts of the incident — his blood alcohol level was 0.12 and Kalra, at 39, is no kid — the councilman did as well as he could, inviting the media over to his house and apologizing for his behavior.
Our sympathy comes easily. Kalra, a good and compassionate man, often takes the side of the underdog. And those who have never, ever driven with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08 are probably in a distinct minority.
But the political wages of sin differ from the clean slate of redemption we’d like to extend personally. So at the risk of sounding like a scaremonger, let me point out a few caveats and potential dangers for the ambitious young councilman.
First, on forthrightness: This wasn’t just an open acknowledgment of error. To preserve his political career, Kalra chose the wisest course, maybe the only course.
Even if the CHP never issued a news release, Kalra could not run in any contested election without an opposing campaign finding the drunken driving arrest. Then it would look far worse, as if Kalra had attempted to cover it up.
Changed viewpoint
For better or worse, we have changed mightily in our view of these violations. In the mid-’70s, when I worked for the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph, I covered an Illinois legislator with a drinking problem.
For an important vote, he once sped at 90 mph over the 20 miles from his home to Springfield, drove his car onto the Capitol lawn, and marched down the aisle with a clenched fist to deliver a “no” vote.
I proposed a story on the legislator’s drinking. My editors said I didn’t have enough evidence that he was truly drunk.
There is no sign that the pro-labor Kalra has that kind of problem. But the arrest will be a permanent part of his opposition research jacket. His enemies would happily take a shot of him in an orange jumpsuit in the unlikely event he winds up doing weekend duty picking up trash.
(Remember: In the new world of third-party expenditures, there’s no reason for a candidate opposing Kalra to use such a photo. The job could be passed on to a business group with fewer inhibitions.)
Avoid hypocrisy
The councilman has to be careful about anything smacking of hypocrisy. If he votes on a “social host” ordinance, holding parents responsible for teenage drinking, he’s obligated to acknowledge his arrest. Finally, he has to know that if he’s booked on a second DUI, his political career is all but over.
“I think he’s passed this, with two ifs,” said political strategist Jude Barry. “The first is that he’s disclosed everything. The second is that there are no further incidents.”
Like I say, we are a forgiving society. And Kalra, a former deputy public defender who is mentioned as a potential mayoral or Assembly candidate down the line, deserves a shot at a productive career.
In our eagerness to praise his repentance, we should nonetheless remember that he has to be careful. This wasn’t just a speeding ticket: It was a crime.
Contact Scott Herhold at sherhold@mercurynews.com or 408-275-0917.
