A juicy benefits battle -- Ex-DMV chief blames Davis in jobless pay row

Sacramento Bee ^ | 11/18/7 | John Hill

[SmithL]

Ousted unceremoniously by Arnold Schwarzenegger on the triumphant governor's first day in office, the former head of the Department of Motor Vehicles has waged a four-year campaign against his former employer.

His mission: to collect unemployment benefits.

It's not that Steven Gourley needs the $5,000 he believes he has coming for six weeks when he was out of work. He's now a lawyer in private practice who figures he's spent more than $5,000 just on filing fees in his unemployment case.

Rather, Gourley is trying to make a point.

The point involves rather arcane arguments about procedural matters at the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

And something a little juicier.

Gourley alleges that former Gov. Gray Davis was such a micromanager that as DMV director, he never had a chance to make any policy – and so should not be barred, as appointed policymakers are, from collecting unemployment.

As part of his appeal, Gourley even got sworn statements from other Davis appointees to back up his contention that Davis ignored his underlings.

In one, former California Highway Patrol Commissioner Dwight "Spike" Helmick wrote that he tried to give Davis some advice about a bill that would give undocumented immigrants driver's licenses. Helmick told Davis he should get the bill sponsor to delay it so it didn't become an issue in the 2003 recall election.

Here's what Davis had to say, according to Helmick: "Spike, I pay a lot of money to a lot of people to give me advice. I pay you to administer the California Highway Patrol, not to give me advice."

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Davis apparently was an arrogant jerk.