State Sen. Wright gets 90 days in jail for perjury

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- California state Sen. Rod Wright was sentenced on Friday to 90 days in Los Angeles County jail for lying about his legal residence.

Wright was also ordered to complete 1,500 hours of community service. He will be on probation for three years.

When Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy said he was no longer eligible to hold public office in California, Wright sat silently and looked down.

The 62-year-old Inglewood Democrat has been on a paid leave of absence since his conviction in January on eight felony counts. The jury found Wright guilty of living outside his district when he ran for -- and won -- his state seat in 2008 for the 25th Senate District.

Wright said he moved into an Inglewood property so he could run in 2008 to represent the 25th Senate District, but jurors found he actually lived outside the district in Baldwin Hills.

Due to redistricting, Wright currently represents the 35th Senate District. In March, the California Senate voted to suspend him, along with senators Leland Yee and Ron Calderon. Despite the suspension, the senators still received their $95,291 annual salaries.

Judge Kathleen Kennedy said the case was a byproduct of term limits which send career politicians scrambling to seek new offices.

Wright was ordered to surrender on Oct. 31 to begin serving his sentence.

Before the sentencing, the defense filed a motion for a new trial, but Kennedy rejected the motion. Wright's attorney says he will file an appeal.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.