Free Republic

SACRAMENTO - State Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, said Tuesday that he is being investigated by the state Fair Political Practices Commission in connection with donations to his campaign committees. In a statement, Battin said he was cooperating with commission officials. He blamed the inquiry on "bogus complaints" filed by a Democratic colleague. Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, was angry at GOP criticism of Machado's fund-raising practices during a tough re-election fight, Battin said. Machado withdrew the complaint last July, Battin said. But that didn't stop the commission's investigation. "I did not attempt to conceal the source of any campaign funds....

SACRAMENTO -- State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, already linked to a corruption probe, and Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, R-Tustin, refused on Tuesday to drop a bill that could weaken campaign-finance probes against lawmakers. One probe that could be affected is apparently one involving Sen. Jim Battin, R-Palm Desert, who lashed out Tuesday at a state agency he accused of improperly revealing its inquiry. "It is disturbing the Fair Political Practices Commission has apparently chosen to violate their own rules prohibiting them from discussing an ongoing investigation and make comments to the press," Battin wrote in a...