Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, a Castro Valley Democrat and wife of Alameda Superior Court Judge Dennis Hayashi, has been charged with felony grand theft after allegedly stealing more than $2,500 from a Neiman Marcus store in San Francisco.

Security guards reportedly placed her under citizens arrest until the police could show up, and the alleged felony was apparently caught on camera. Police say she walked by multiple registers prior to leaving the store without paying for the merchandise she was carrying.

A spokesman for the assembly Democrat says it was all one big mistake. Supposedly she was on the phone, and you know how easy it can be to walk by multiple registers and out the front door with $2,500 in unpaid merchandise thanks to a phone call. I mean, who hasn’t done as much?

Ironically enough, Hayashi, who is free on $15,000 bail, chairs the Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee.

Hayashi has no intention of resigning her office, according to a spokesperson. That may not be necessary, though. If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison for felony grand theft. It’s difficult to legislate from behind bars, though I wouldn’t put it past Democrats.

A spokesman for Speaker John Perez, another Democrat, calls the situation a “serious matter” and says it must be resolved “through the appropriate setting of the courts”. It’s unclear whether her chairmanship will be suspended while the case is investigated. Probably not.