Sacramento – from www.latimes.com – An Orange County lawmaker who inadvertently broadcast explicit remarks about his sexual conquests over an open microphone during a lull in a Sacramento hearing abruptly resigned from office this afternoon.

Assemblyman Mike Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) stepped down after legislative leaders stripped him of his committee posts this morning and launched an ethics probe of his actions.

“I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly, who are working hard on the very serious problems facing our state,” Duvall said in a written statement. “I have come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle to remain in office. Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work.”

Legislative leaders had earlier expressed disgust at the comments of Duvall, who was vice chairman of the Utilities and Commerce Committee and a member of the Rules Committee. And at least one Republican Party official had said the lawmaker should consider resigning.

His remarks were caught on videotape during a July hearing of the Assembly Appropriations committee and aired on a KCAL television news report Tuesday night. In the videotape, the married, socially conservative Duvall talks with a colleague in uninhibited detail about his apparent trysts with two women, neither of them his wife.

The KCAL report says one of the women is a lobbyist for a major utility with business before Duvall’s committee. In the videotape, Duvall says her birthday is July 6, the same date as a Sacramento lobbyist for the San Diego-based energy firm Sempra.

The company issued a written statement this afternoon, saying it “takes very seriously any reports involving the conduct of our employees.”

“We are investigating this matter and the recent media reports that named one of our employees,” the Sempra statement said. “The employee has denied the speculative media reports. Our investigation will be conducted to ensure not only that our policies on employee conduct are strictly adhered to, but also that our employee is treated fairly.”

Duvall, who had declined to answer questions about his remarks, posted an apology for the July comments on his campaign website this morning.

“I made a mistake and I sincerely apologize,” the statement said. “I deeply regret the comments I made in what I believed to be a private conversation. This is a private matter and I ask that everyone respect the privacy of all involved.”

On the tape, Duvall describes the “little eye-patch underwear” worn by one of the women. He refers to the age gap between her and him, after a recent birthday made them 18 years apart. “Now, you’re getting old, man, I am going to have to trade you in,” he said he told her.

Later, he tells the colleague about a second woman.

“Sher, Shar, Shar – oh, she is hot. I talked to her yesterday. She goes, ‘So are we finished?’ ” Duvall says, adding that he replied no. He continues: “And I go, ‘You know about the other one, but the other one doesn’t know about you.’ ”

Before Duvall resigned, Orange County Republican Party Chairman Scott Baugh said he had seen the video, “and there’s absolutely nothing you can defend in anything that was said by Assemblyman Duvall.” He added: “My heart goes out to his family, but I think he should go home and consider resigning.”

The Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative, self-described “pro-family” advocacy organization that had given Duvall a “100%” score for his voting record on issues of concern to the group, denounced the lawmaker in a statement today.

“It is always disappointing when a champion of traditional values does not practice the same in his private life,” said Karen England, executive director of CRI. “And this appears to be the case with Assemblyman Duvall.”

The scandal has erupted as lawmakers scurry to act on dozens of bills with just three days left in the legislative session. They have yet to finish work on the state’s prison overcrowding crisis, its water infrastructure problems and other major issues.

“I am terribly disappointed by the situation surrounding Assemblyman Duvall’s comments,” said Assembly GOP Leader Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo. ” The statements he made were inappropriate and unacceptable.”

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said Duvall’s comments left her “saddened and disappointed. . . .The Assembly has some very important policy work to complete in the next couple of days and we will not allow this situation to become a distraction.”