Posted on 03/07/2006 3:24:52 PM PST by CounterCounterCulture
- Senator Chuck Poochigian
In a letter Attorney General Bill Lockyer stated his support for Senator Chuck Poochigian’s (R-Fresno) request for an investigation into whether taxpayer funds were illegally used by the First 5 Commission for campaign advertising, and called for a prompt review. Citing a pre-existing attorney-client relationship with the First 5 Commission and a potential conflict of interest the Attorney General referred the request for a civil and criminal investigation to Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully’s office, which has concurrent enforcement authority.
Poochigian is specifically seeking an investigation into whether the First 5 Commission illegally used taxpayer funds to gather signatures and influence voters to support Proposition 82, the “Preschool for All” campaign.
"If it is found that a state appointee unlawfully used public resources for campaign activity, he or she could be held personally liable. If the First 5 Commission’s actions were found to be unlawful, those directing funds could be liable for civil penalties in excess of $69 million dollars for the ‘Preschool for All’ television ad campaign, as well as potential criminal penalties. However, the potential cost to our election process and damage to the public trust would be far greater," said Senator Poochigian. "Given the short timeframe, I hope that this investigation and the decision whether or not to seek damages or injunctive relief, if appropriate, will be expedited so that the public is afforded the greatest protection."
The district attorney’s investigation into misuse of taxpayer funds by the First 5 Commission is part of an ongoing effort to determine whether public resources were used to influence the campaign for Proposition 82. Senator Poochigian is Vice-Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which will be reviewing calls for an audit of the matter on Wednesday, March 8.
PERHAPS, MEATHEAD CAN WRITE ABOUT LIFE IN PRISON...
If he winds up at the gray bar hotel, he can widen his horizons for directing his next political statement on film.
http://www.newwestnotes.com/
March 7th, 2006
** Longtime Rob Reiner political advisor and former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Ben Austin is leaving as campaign manager of the movie director’s universal preschool initiative, Proposition 82 on California’s June ballot. Austin, who figures in the controversy over the Reiner-led California Children and Families Commission’s spending practices, was paid over $500,000 by the state agency for his services. He will continue to work on the Reiner initiative, the campaign for which will now be managed by Chad Griffin.
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