California tax collectors also interested in Al Franken

Golden State tax officials are on a roll this week when it comes to unpaid back taxes by celebrities.

Comedian-turned-politician Al Franken has been making a serious run at the U.S. Senate. He’s just about to get the endorsement of the DFL, Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, to challenge Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.

Now, however, Franken’s road to Washington could contain a major political pothole. On Friday, Republicans said they have discovered a possible irregularity from Franken’s entertainment days, specifically some unpaid California taxes.

According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, Franken’s campaign manager Andy Barr declined to say whether Franken had paid taxes on earnings in California between 2003 and 2007.

Barr did tell the paper, though, that Franken’s accountant is working with California officials to sort things out.

This latest tax incident follows earlier disclosures that Franken, who also was one of Air America radio’s stars, failed to pay worker’s compensation and disability premiums in New York and botched the dissolution of his California corporation.

Franken has since paid more than $25,000 in fines to New York, but still owes more than $4,700 in corporate taxes and fines to California.

We’ll have to wait until November to see if the tax missteps have any effect on Minnesota voters.