U.S. Chamber Runs Ads Praising Governor

LA Times ^ | 03-10-06 | Peter Nicholas

[Amerigomag]

SACRAMENTO — A national business group is opening a statewide ad campaign lauding Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his agenda, without disclosing how much it is spending on the commercials or where the money is coming from.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose governing board includes major donors to Schwarzenegger's political campaigns, launched a 30-second television spot that coincides with Schwarzenegger's efforts to pass an ambitious public works plan and win a second term. Chamber official Eric Wohlschlegel would not reveal what the ad campaign costs. Money to pay for it comes from member dues, he said. The chamber does not make public the names of its members. The U.S. chamber's board includes companies that lobby the governor's office in Sacramento and donors who've given Schwarzenegger's campaigns hundreds of thousands of dollars.

One board member is listed as George Argyros, an Orange County developer who two months ago was a host of a luncheon for Schwarzenegger and other campaign donors in Newport Beach. Campaign finance records show that Argyros last year gave more than $127,000 to the governor's various campaign accounts. Another listed board member, Mark T. Bobak, works for Anheuser-Busch, which donated more than $271,000 to Schwarzenegger's campaign accounts in 2003 and 2004. The drug company Pfizer is also represented on the U.S. chamber's board. Pfizer maintains an active lobbying presence in Sacramento, spending tens of thousands of dollars working for passage or defeat of legislation.

Campaign ethics groups said the chamber is exploiting a legal loophole by airing a "sham issue ad." Had the ad carried explicit language calling for Schwarzenegger's election, the chamber would be compelled by state law to reveal the cost and details about who gave the money, the ethics groups said.

Schwarzenegger's reelection campaign said Thursday that the chamber conceived the ad on its own.

[an amused spectator]

A national business group is opening a statewide ad campaign lauding Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his agenda, without disclosing how much it is spending on the commercials or where the money is coming from.

So? The LA Times runs "news" items and editorial commentary talking up political favorites "without disclosing how much it is spending on the commercials or where the money is coming from".

So Peter Nicholas can just STFU.

[calcowgirl]

I saw the commercial several times on Fox News channel today.
Why does the state need 40,000 new schools?
Oh, yeah, the children of our "undocumented" workers.

[calcowgirl]

...40,000 new schools

Correction: I meant 40,000 new classrooms.

[NormsRevenge]

sounds like a winner for the teachers union

[calcowgirl]

All the unions are salivating.

Gray Davis could only dream of getting 1/2 this stuff passed.
Housing for farmworkers? Hey, no problem!

[Tzimisce]

Is this a government office? I don't think it is - and in that case there is nothing wrong.

How dare these people use their free speech. Heads should roll for this!

[CowboyJay]

I admire anyone left in California still fighting the good fight.

Colorado's gotten between 500,000 & 1,000,000 new neighbors from there since '90, by-way-of people fleeing the twin devastations of open-borders & out-of-control government.