LASD Public Information Officer Nicole Nishida confirmed to LBREPORT.com that Mr. Wright was indeed released. She said the decision wasn't made individually but based on several factors routinely applied under standard custody calculations including the nature of his crime (non-violent, deemed not serious), the jail population, the short length of his sentence and his history of no previous felonies.

In September, L.A. Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy sentenced Wright to a 90 day jail term plus three years probation plus 1,500 hours of community service plus payment of $2,000 in restitution...with a lifetime ban on holding public office. Wright's attorneys indicated at the time that he would appeal the convictions [and we presume he's doing so.]

Wright, a Democrat who'd previously held an Assembly seat and was endorsed for the state Senate by (among others) the LB Area Chamber of Commerce, was found guilty after a jury trial in which prosecutors presented evidence and argued that Wright had tried to make it appear that he lived in part of rental property he owned in Inglewood (within the state Senate district he was elected to represent) while he actually lived in a higher-end Baldwin Hills neighborhood (outside the district.) Wright said he believed he'd done what the law requires to establish the Inglewood address as his legal domicile and didn't intend to mislead voters or evade the law.

LATimes reporter Jean Merl reported at sentencing that "Several of Wright's supporters in the courtroom gasped when the judge ordered Wright to spend time in jail. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters for whom Wright had once worked, state Sen. Holly Mitchell and Assemblyman Steve Bradford [LBREPORT.com note: the latter now a candidate in a special election to succeed Wright], all Los Angeles-area Democrats, showed up for the sentencing..."

Following his jury conviction, the State Senate's Dem majority voted in March to suspend Wright, with pay, as he awaited sentencing (for which Wright sought delays.). Wright resigned his state Senate seat shortly after his September sentencing; a special election is now scheduled to fill the vacancy; four Dems (including two termed-out Dem Sac'to Assemblymembers) and one Repub are in the race in the heavily Dem voter-registered district.

Two other Dem state Senators currently face unrelated criminal charges [not tried at this point] on differing allegations (Ron Calderon of Montebello and Leland Yee of San Francisco.).

A little over two weeks ago, L.A. City Councilman [and former Sac'to Dem legislator] Richard Alarcon was sentenced to serve 120 days in jail (plus five years home probation + 600 hours of community service and a lifetime ban on holding public office) after his convictions for fraudulent voting and perjury. Mr. Alarcon is expected to report to jail in December and is also appealing his convictions.