That’s right: Congresswoman Laura Richardson’s (D-Long Beach) automotive hijinks apparently continued after she left Long Beach City Council in late 2006–failing, until recently, to pay the repair bills on her own BMW.

As the Daily Breeze’s Gene Maddaus reports today, upon arriving in Washington, D.C. last fall, Richardson promptly leased the most expensive car of any member of the House of Representatives.

“She settled on a 2007 Lincoln Town Car–the choice of many representatives who lease their vehicles at taxpayers’ expense. But hers was distinct: At $1,300 a month, it was the most expensive car in the House of Representives,” Maddaus writes, remembering Richardson to us as the congresswoman who defaulted on two home loans and lost a third house in a foreclosure auction.

It’s actually rather funny; in the story’s third paragraph, Maddaus describes Richardson as “a Democrat who represents Carson,” not mentioning that she also represents a portion of Long Beach.

But that’s okay–do we really want to go around namechecking Laura Richardson at this point? I bet mentioning her name will get you in really good with the folks at Sir Speedy Printing in Signal Hill. Until recently, Richardson owed them $150 in unpaid printing bills.

Anyway, back to the car.

“Richardson got the car from a local Enterprise Rent-a-Car office for her use when she needed to travel around her congressional district,” Maddaus writes. “The cost would not have been affected by her personal credit history because it was paid for by the federal government. The price tag also did not include insurance, which Richardson agreed to pay for on her own.”

So, why is the car so expensive? According to a former staffer, Maddaus writes, “Richardson insisted that her Lincoln be specially customized, which may explain the high cost.”

“Richardson’s spokesman, William Marshall, initially stated that Richardson is paying only $940 per month for her Town Car, but gave no documentation of that. After he was presented with the expense report showing the $1,300 lease amount, he declined to answer further questions,” Maddaus writes.

” ‘No comment,’ ” Marshall told Maddaus, which is what Richardson’s people usually tell reporters. (The headline on the story in this morning’s Press-Telegram calls the car a “gold-plated” bargain; maybe that’s extent of the customization: it’s been gold-plated? Not really.)

According to Maddaus, Congressional Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) leases a 2007 Lincoln Town Car too–but hers only costs $686 a month.

“A $1,300 lease is a gold-plated lease,” Keith Ashdown, chief investigator for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, told Maddaus. “Because it’s federal money and not their personal money, they’re not looking for the best value.”

Oooh, ouch! But wait, there’s more.

“At 8:30 p.m. April 3, a staff member was driving the car on the San Diego (405) Freeway, when he got into a crash. According to a California Highway Patrol report, the staffer, Henry Rogers, reported being struck in the rear by a white sport utility vehicle. The impact caused him to spin out and hit the center median, and left major damage to the left rear of the Town Car,” Maddaus writes.

“The CHP report gives no information about the insurance on the car, other than to say that it was a ‘rental.’ But Richardson’s subsequent actions suggest that Rogers may not have been listed as an eligible driver on her insurance policy.”

“According to the former staffer, after the crash Richardson required her district employees to buy additional insurance so they could legally drive the Lincoln,” Maddaus writes, noting that “The former staff member did not want to be identified out of fear of jeopardizing future employment prospects.”

Man, that’s some good automotive journalism–way better than the news on whatever Kerkorian is doing to Ford today (bringing back the Lincoln Futura, we’re guessing). There’s a couple other little zingers in Maddaus’s story, but we’ll let you find those yourself.

Enjoy, and remember: she’s our congresswoman now!

Tags: 2007 Lincoln Town Car, California, Carson, Congresswoman Laura Richardson, Daily Breeze, Diane Watson, expensive car lease, foreclosure, House of Representatives, laura richardson, Long Beach, mortgage default, press telegram, Sir Speedy Printing, Southern California, Taxpayers for Common Sense, The District Weekly, Theo Douglas, William Marshall