Lawmakers use charities to win public support

Recent legislative hearings revealed that an Oracle Corp. lobbyist recommended a charitable donation for a college project by the son of Sen. Steve Peace, D-El Cajon, as part of a strategy to secure a $95 million state software contract without competitive bidding.

State records show that dozens of officeholders have solicited nonprofit donations exceeding $5,000 in the past four years, including:

* Attorney General Bill Lockyer raised $20,000 from the Philip Morris tobacco company in 1999 to help Haven House serve needy families in the Pasadena area.

* Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, raised $10,000 from Anheuser-Busch this year to fight homelessness in San Francisco.

* Sen. Dede Alpert, D-Coronado, raised more than $1 million from foundations in the past three years to help bankroll rewriting a new master plan for public education.

* Gov. Gray Davis raised more than $1.5 million in private donations for his 1998 inauguration and about $163,000 for two events last year.

Money solicited by legislators for charities can have enormous political benefits by enhancing a lawmaker's image.
DUMP DAVI$ & the Den of Socialists

GO SIMON

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