Corruption and unethical behavior starts early in some public officials.  For some, it takes a while.  One thing is sure:  bad behavior i's not limited to Congress, that's for sure.  Two recent examples of local ethics scandals provide the evidence.

In San Francisco, Supervisor Ed Jew resigned after a short tenure marked by controversy:

Suspended San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew resigned from his seat on the Board of Supervisors Thursday, and now it's up to the political novice who has been serving as his temporary replacement to decide whether she wants to enter the cutthroat world of local politics and campaign for the job this fall.

Jew's resignation - effective at noon Friday - ends a tumultuous period at City Hall and sets up a political fight in the city's sleepy Sunset District. His decision to step down almost eight months after FBI agents raided his office in connection with an alleged extortion scheme means the District Four seat he landed in a surprise victory in 2006 will be up for grabs in November's election.

In Houston, the long-serving District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal is facing a criminal investigation following the release of e-mails from his official account:

The Texas Attorney General's office agreed Thursday to investigate whether Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal should lose his job for sending and receiving inappropriate messages through his county e-mail account.

Republican officeholders and party leaders are calling for the GOP prosecutor's head following the release of hundreds of his e-mails, including love notes to his secretary, racist jokes and videos of men sneaking up to women and tearing their clothes off in public.

He also used the county e-mail account to plan his now-aborted re-election campaign. Those e-mails, while tamer, may be more damaging to Rosenthal's career because such messages may violate Texas laws barring the use government property for political activity.

Under Texas law, judges may remove district attorneys from office for incompetence, official misconduct or intoxication on or off the job. Official misconduct is defined as "intentional, unlawful behavior" relating to official duties.