Campaigns aren't the only recipient of political cash: Well-heeled groups with business before the Legislature
spent more than $500 million last year to oppose or support bills in the
Capitol, reports Marc Lifsher in the LA Times.
"Though slightly less than the $550 million spent on
lobbying in 2007-08, the total was 39% higher than the amount reported for the
first two years of the decade."
“Democracy is getting increasingly expensive in
California,” said Dan Schnur, director of the Unruh Institute of
Politics at
the University of California. He likened spending on
lobbying to the Cold War
arms race between the United States and the former
Soviet Union. “These costs only are going to continue to spiral higher
and higher," said Schnur." You pay a lobbyist a million
dollars but
you can go home with a $1-billion tax break.”
The state Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating
whether former Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman engaged in illegal lobbying in connection with the
Orange County Fairgrounds. Norberto Santana, Jr. has the story in the Voice of
OC.
"After a yearlong investigation, Rackauckas cleared
Ackerman and the Fair Board members of any wrongdoing,
saying in his report
that Ackerman didn't violate a state ban on lobbying
former colleagues because
"his contact was not with state legislators."
However, a story published
earlier this month by Voice of OC revealed that Ackerman's
own legal billings
show him having interaction with key Orange County
legislators before and after
key votes that put the fairgrounds up for sale."
The recession is taking its toll in homes and jobs, and now it's boosting the costs of traffic tickets. As if people didn't have enough to worry about.
From the Bee's Jim Sanders: "Running a stop sign or driving 15 mph or less above the
speed limit? The fine has jumped from $161 to $236. Ignoring a school crossing
guard? From $201 to $280. Parking illegally in a disabled space? From $881 to
$1,043."
"Penalties can vary slightly from county to county,
but
the state's court system generally sets the standard
by adopting an annual bail
schedule. New legislation by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont,
would raise traffic penalties another $3 to bolster a fund for researching
spinal cord injuries."
Former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's campaign
got sharply discounted office space from the owners
of a building proposed as the new headquarters of Twitter, reports Gary Shih in the Bay Citizen.
"Weeks after the gift last fall, Newsom officials aided
negotiations between Twitter and Dworman by offering
the Internet company a
payroll tax freeze as an incentive to move into Dworman’s building, a
10,000-square-foot art deco structure at 1355 Market St. once known as the San Francisco Mart."
"City officials say there is no
connection between the tax deal and the contribution
from Dworman. The proposed tax deal, officials said,
is part of a rare opportunity to spur growth in one
of San Francisco’s most
blighted neighborhoods, while preventing Twitter, which
was recently valued at
about $10 billion, from leaving the city. In meetings with Twitter
last fall,
city officials also said they could improve Muni service,
add police patrols,
and improve street-cleaning to make the area more attractive."
Backers of California's high-speed rail project are urging supporters to attend a federal hearing
in Fresno to show solidarity before a Republican committee chairman
from Florida who is skeptical of the plan.
From Dan Weikel in the LA Times: "In addition to general supporters, organizers say
they want to enlist the help of those with a vested
interest in the project, including labor and current
contractors, in an attempt to drown out critics, some
of whom have challenged the train's ridership and cost
estimates."
"The lobbying plan has raised concerns among project
critics and state Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach): They question whether the California High-Speed Rail Authority should be spending taxpayer money
to muster political support."
And finally, let's take a look at Honduras -- home of fine cigars and one of the world's toughest anti-smoking laws.
Say what?
"The
last refuge is vanishing for besieged smokers — at least in Honduras. A new law
that took effect Monday says family members can call
in the police on people
who smoke at home.
"The new measure bans smoking in most closed public
or
private spaces and orders smokers to stand at least
six feet away from
nonsmokers in any open space."
The law explicitly bans smoking in schools, gas stations,
nightclubs, restaurants, bars, buses, taxis, stadiums
and cultural centers but
it doesn't clearly ban smoking at home. A clause, however, expressly says relatives or visitors
can summon police to deal with smokers at home."
There's a Groucho Marx joke here somewhere...
