Paula Abdul was once again in the spotlight, only this time it was because of an infection she contracted at a high-end salon and not for her “American Idol” antics. Abdul testified at a California Senate committee that she contracted a staph infection in her thumb from an unsanitary manicure she received at a California salon last year.

“This horrific and debilitating condition was left under my thumbnail as a direct result of the salon using non-sanitized instruments,” said Abdul. “This type of infection has caused not only me, but thousands of women the expense of medical attention, loss of wages, loss of sleep, traumatic medical procedures, fear of returning to nail salons, and in my case and many others, emergency surgeries.”

Her testimony was in support of Assembly Bill 1263, which would establish minimum safety standards for pedicure and manicure equipment and ensure that salons have procedures for proper, safe, and sanitary operation of spa equipment.

AB 1263, which is expected to be approved by the State Senate Committee on Business, Professions, and Economic Development, would require the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to display a notice warning consumers if a particular salon has received a violation. If the bill does pass, it would become law effective January 1, 2006.

“We want people to know cases like this don’t just happen in discount salons,” says Adam Keigwin, press secretary for Spear pro Tempore Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/Daly City), who authored the bill. “We heard about the infection Abdul contracted and contacted her. As soon as she found out about the bill she said she wanted to do anything she could to help get it passed.”

Abdul’s testimonial also brought to light the cases of hundreds of clients in Northern California — primarily women — who have contracted bacterial infections on their legs after receiving pedicures, mainly due to the lack of proper cleaning and disinfecting of pedicure equipment.