Free Republic

IN THE WAKE of the Abramoff, Cunningham and DeLay scandals, all eyes have turned to lobbying reform in D.C. And deservedly so. But Washington is just the beginning. In fact, the kind of lobbying that goes on in the nation's capital also exists — often more brazenly, more openly and with bigger dollar amounts — in every state capital in the country, including Sacramento. --snip-- More money is spent lobbying in California than in any other state in the nation. The $212 million spent by California lobbyists in 2004 dwarfed the runner-up lobbying state, Texas, by $50 million and third-place...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - State officials improperly handled bid documents concerning the award of a multimillion dollar purchasing contract that eventually went to a Virginia company with no experience in the field, according to testimony Wednesday before a Senate panel. Officials also said they changed scores from pass to fail for the company's only rival for the work, which caused the competitor's disqualification. That led Sen. Joe Dunn, a Garden Grove Democrat leading the investigation into the state's "strategic sourcing" contract, to say "there's something more than meets the eye with the bidding" and call for more hearings. At issue is...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - On the eve of hearings into a troubled state purchasing contract, legislative investigators said Tuesday they want to know more about how an inexperienced Virginia-based firm got hired after its only competitor was disqualified and the company gave $25,000 to one of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political campaigns. Last June, the Schwarzenegger administration hired CGI-AMS to help the state cut its near-$5 billion annual purchasing bill. But so far, the company has failed to deliver on its goal of trimming $96 million in spending this fiscal year. Questions surrounding how the contract was awarded, the company's lack of...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A communications firm with close ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is helping a state contractor persuade department heads to join a struggling procurement program, an official with the contractor said Wednesday. The contractor, Virginia-based CGI-AMS, recently hired Wilson-Miller Communications, which is co-owned by Marty Wilson, a top political adviser to Schwarzenegger and his main fund-raiser. Last May, the Schwarzenegger administration hired CGI-AMS to help the state trim its $4.9 billion purchasing bill. A spokeswoman for CGI-AMS said her company hired Beth Miller, Wilson's partner, to develop a marketing and education program aimed at getting more state officials...