Permit OK'd after donation to Gov. Davis

Mercury News ^ | 07/30/02 | By Paul Rogers

[Battle Hymn of the Republic]

State officials allowed one of California's largest polluters to increase toxic discharges into San Francisco Bay shortly after the company donated $70,500 to Gov. Gray Davis, a Mercury News investigation has found.

The decision by a key state water board in June 2000 came just four months after the board had refused to relax the pollution permit at Tosco's Avon refinery east of Martinez -- and after the company had tried unsuccessfully to get the rules eased for seven years.

[Diver Dave]

Good Morning, ladies.

WE need your Dump Davis graphics over here.

[nightdriver]

"I am astounded, "said Richard Drury, an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, based in Oakland. "The implication is that the Davis administration was willing to sacrifice the health of San Francisco Bay for campaign contributions."

Hey! X42 taught all democRATs this trick. Every time bubba committed something like this (Tyson comes to mind) his approval rating amongst the sheeple only went UP! Nothing new here.

[jjm2111]

Davis has carried the "pay to play" reputation for a long time.

[Mama_Bear]

WE need your Dump Davis graphics over here.

You got it! Thanks for the ping.

[Fabozz]

"I doubt they'll be so angry that they'll vote for the Grey One's Republican opponent."

They don't need to vote Republican, they just need to vote for Peter Camejo, the Green candidate. Simon and the California GOP should be doing everything in their power to boost Camejo—insisting on his inclusion in debates, finding something in Camejo's platform to speak favorably about in stump speeches, etc. Camejo's platform is lunacy of the first order—massive tax increases, "living wage" laws and a single-payer healthcare system—but every vote he gets is a vote that Davis doesn't. No matter what Nader might say or believe, he's the one responsible for the Bush presidency; no reason why that can't work in California too.

[Marysecretary]

Have you ever noticed how strange looking most democrats in office are? They just ain't normal (smile). From another planet maybe?

[Carry_Okie]

Ka Ching!!!

There goes the cash register... Again.

[cake_crumb]

"No matter what Nader might say or believe, he's the one responsible for the Bush presidency; no reason why that can't work in California too"

True. Good idea.

[Eva]

Extortion - I was thinking the same thing. Grey-out needs this refinery to stay open even though it is so old that it is dangerous. The state of California hasn't allowed any new refineries in over twenty years, but still expects the oil companies to be able to provide an adequate supply of California approved gasoline. Davis should be paying the oil company, instead of the other way around.

[Congressman Billybob]

In the immortal words of Tom Lehrer in his song, "Pollution:"

"The breakfast garbage you throw into the Bay,
They drink at lunch in San Jose."

Davis is simply trying to suck up every available dollar from every source. What is cr*p in San Francisco Bay, compared to his Holiness in Sacramento? A small price to pay for such terrific goverment, right?

Hey, makes sense to me.

Congressman Billybob

Click for: "Memo to Li'l Tommy Daschle: 'You're busted.'"

[NormsRevenge]

Mercury News Front Page View

GraYouT & Beached Whales ... Symbolic ... GraYouT IS a creature of the DeeP ... Floundering in thin political air ... How FiTTing!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

``There is no way in the world that contribution had anything to do with policy, because it is public for all the world to see,'' said Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio. ``Any allegation to that effect is ludicrous.''

Translation; "We steal, cheat, and commit crimes but were not so stupid to have done it this obviously so we must be innocent."

[RichInOC]

I wonder if California Dems will borrow the Louisiana Dems' slogan from the Edwin Edwards-David Duke campaign..."Vote for the crook--it's important!" They may have to.

[Ben Bolt]

I liked the quote from Mr. Simon's spokesman . " This does not pass the straight face test " . So true .

[Travis McGee]

No shame at all.

[Regulator]

``I am astounded,'' said Richard Drury, an attorney for Communities for a Better Environment, based in Oakland. ``The implication is that the Davis administration was willing to sacrifice the health of San Francisco Bay for campaign contributions.''

The Davis administration will sacrifice virgins on stone altars to get campaign contributions. The man and his staff are quite simply insane.

Jim Traficant just got 8 years (!) for doing far, far less, and for doing it in a sloppy way. Applying the same standards to Davis would result in a sentence of death by firing squad.

Unfortunately, all we can do is to disemploy him:

GO And

[Libertina]

There is no way in the world that contribution had anything to do with policy, because it is public for all the world to see,'' said Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio. ``Any allegation to that effect is ludicrous.
So this is what it feels like to live in a third world country.

[B Knotts]

ROFL. Great story! Thanks for posting.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Disemploy, then arrest, put on trial, then confine.

Next to Hitlery and Bill, the most dangerous American today is Red Davis!

(thanks to Mama_Bear for this image below:)

[WarEagle]

"I can state categorically there was no communication from the governor to me or to any other member of the board concerning that contribution,'' said Josephine De Luca of Redwood City. ``We made the decision on the merits. It seemed to us it was the reasonable thing to do.''

You notice that she did not say they were not contacted by the Governor about the permit, she said they were not conacted about the contribution.

Damn, I thought the crooks in Montgomery were transparent. Evidently, the crooks in Sacramento have been taking lessons.