Posted on 12/10/2004 8:58:42 PM PST by NormsRevenge
OAKLAND -- The 925 pages of BART documents provided to the federal grand jury investiga ting state Senate leader Don Perata and his closest associates offer a snapshot of the close-knit world of political patron age. The 8-inch stack of e-mails, invoices and contract papers, obtained by the Oakland Tribune under the California Public Records Act, documents the work of two close allies of Per ata, D-Oakland, as they helped BART convince voters to pass a seismic safety bond.
The U.S. Attorney's Office sought records showing BART payments to Oakland lobbyist Lily Hu and Sandra Polka, a former aide to Sen. John Bur ton, D-San Francisco. Investigators are also probing direct or indirect payments to Perata, his children, their firms and Per ata's college roommate and longtime business associate Tim Staples.
The BART documents show that the transit agency's external affairs office paid Polka and Hu for political outreach on seismic bond measures in 2002 and 2004. But they also show that the relationship extended beyond the campaigns.
Polka continues to collect $10,000 a month for work after last month's successful passage of the bond. BART officials said Thursday she is retained to help explain the upcoming construction to affected neighborhoods.
Likewise, BART paid Hu $3,000 a month in mid-2003 for public outreach unrelated to the earthquake safety work, such as ensuring "BART is kept abreast of current issues," and meeting "with key elected officials in Alameda County," according to one contract.
Overall, subpoenaed records show, BART contracted with Hu for $133,000 and with Polka for $115,000. Polka also received $40,000 from the bond measure campaigns, which were managed by BART Directors Dan Richard and James Fang.
It fits a pattern, records show.
Of 15 political consultants who received $1.6 million from the two ballot measure campaigns, BART also hired six, including Staples and the public relations firm run by Perata's daughter, Rebecca Perata-Rosati. She, Staples and Polka, all named in the subpoena, were paid a total of $94,710 in campaign money. Overall, the Measure AA and BB campaigns shifted $625,000 to BART contractors.
Sen. Perata's name rarely comes up in the documents.
E-mails document him gathering endorsements for the BART bond. He's mentioned in a chain of e-mails in February between Polka and BART's external affairs chief, Katherine Strehl, during a discussion of how Sacramento politics interfered with BART's attempt to hire a state lobbyist away from a job in the Capitol.
"When Don is (Senate President) Pro Tem, he'll be able to do great things for BART. Hang in there!" Polka wrote after ear lier advising that Perata could have helped.
Perata and Strehl have known each other for years, sources said.
BART remains the only public agency known to have received a subpoena from the federal court. While none of the 925 pages of documents BART turned over last week connect Perata directly to BART political campaigns, these represent a small fraction of the evidence being examined by the grand jury.
Most of it, such as any evidence seized by the FBI from Hu's Oakland office early last month, is not available to the public. Perata, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, says he's not been contacted by investigators but will cooperate if asked.
Perata is the primary source of anti-firearm bills in the California legislature. For example, he's the guy who proposed the nickel tax on every bullet...
Oh, and do I need to add, he has a CCW permit to "protect himself"?
He was a lead proponent of taxing diapers as well.
What a load of patootie this guy has been peddling for years.
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