California Democratic delegates get swag with their votes
California delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver get all kinds of credentials for their participation this week.
They also get some swag, a bag of free goodies just like at the Oscars -- only worth a whole lot less. Still, upwards of 10 pounds of freebie gifts. “It’s heavy,” said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, noting that the contents did not quite match up to the kinds of presents found in the bags given out at big-time awards shows.
Taking note of the political presents, she said the cloth bag—complements of the Pechanga Indian Resort and Casino—included a wine glass from Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a coffee mug from Sen. Diane Feinstein and a first aid kit from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.
“It’s funny to compare which elected officials put what in the bag,” she said. One of the popular gifts was a USB (flash drive memory device) from California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer.
Oh, the delegates also got a bobblehead doll of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
--John Mitchell
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Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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