Sen. Espada says he’ll stop emergency state budgets

State Sen. Pedro Espada, the Bronx Democrat behind the coup giving Republicans brief control of the Senate one year ago, continues to be a thorn in his party’s side: He won’t vote for the next emergency spending bill even if that will shut down government, he told The Associated Press yesterday. Espada refuses to give the Democratic majority the 32nd vote needed next week for the short-term spending bill that keeps things running during the full budget stalemate. Espada, who is under investigation for allegedly siphoning $14 million from his government-funded Bronx clinic, said he’ll force Senate leadership to seal a budget deal this weekend.