Legislation banning gifts to lawmakers dies in Senate
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Companies lobbying state lawmakers for favorable treatment can continue to shower them with tickets to Disneyland, Dodgers games and rock concerts, after legislators Thursday scuttled a bill banning such gifts.
Lawmakers cited the $204,000 cost of enforcing the proposed gift limit, plus a broader review of regulations that is underway, in deciding not to send it to the Senate floor by this week’s deadline for action.
The measure was proposed to help restore the public’s faith in government leaders, according to supporters including Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause.
‘Once again, the Legislature has shown itself unable to police themselves and unwilling to support even the most basic reforms that would prohibit lobbying firms from giving gifts to legislators,’ Feng said. ‘The score is lobbyists 1, public 0.’
Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) said his proposal would not be a cost burden: he cited comments by the state’s former ethics czar that any expense would likely be covered by fines against those who violate the gift rule.
But Senate leaders said it was premature to approve the Blakeslee bill while the issue of regulating gifts is being looked at more broadly by the state Fair Political Practices Commission.
‘Their actions ought to take place before moving a bill which is oddly narrow -- prohibiting certain gifts but not others,’ said Alicia Trost, a spokeswoman for Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).
Elected state officials accepted $637,000 in gifts last year, including tickets from AT&T to a Lakers game, a Giants World Series game and golf at Torrey Pines. In arguing for his proposal, Blakeslee also cited the case of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who recently agreed to pay $42,000 in fines for accepting tickets to sports events, concerts and other entertainment without reporting them as gifts.
SB 18 would have prohibited lobbyists and their clients from giving state lawmakers and their family members specific gifts, including tickets to concerts, sporting events and amusement parks, as well as paying for legislators’ golf games, spa treatments and skiing. The bill did not extend the rules to local officials.
The FPPC had told legislators that the agency would face increased costs, including the hiring of two additional staffers, to enforce the Blakeslee proposal.
Still, the measure was supported by Dan Schnur, the former chairman of the FPPC, who doubted additional staff would be required but said fines would likely cover any added cost.
Schnur said in a letter to lawmakers that the FPPC could always use more staff, but ‘I do not agree that the passage of SB 18 would add an undue burden to their current workload.’
Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-Santa Clara), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the issue was settled before the panel met Thursday morning to decide which bills would advance.
‘It was a leadership decision,’ Alquist said. ‘My personal policy is not to accept gifts.’
-- Patrick McGreevy
