Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi was all smiles in Superior Court today—and that was before Judge Gerardo Sandoval reduced a felony shoplifting charge and accepted her “no contest” plea to misdemeanor grand theft for stealing $2,400 worth of goods from Neiman Marcus on Union Square in October. The Castro Valley Democrat was sentenced to three years’ probation, ordered to pay restitution and told to stay at least 50 feet away from the store, the Chronicle says.Add: Meanwhile, Hayashi’s lawyer suggested her behavior may have been influenced by a benign brain tumor with which she was diagnosed shortly before her shoplifting outing.
Noted: Since she was convicted of a misdemeanor instead of a felony, Hayashi will have no problem retaining her seat in the Assembly. As for the tumor, attorney Douglas Rappaport tells reporters outside the courtroom: “It is being treated, so it is no longer affecting her concentration and her judgment.”
