Lobbyists Spend Record $74 Million to Get Sacramento Votes

More than $74 million was spent to lobby the Legislature and other state agencies last year, the Fair Political Practices Commission reported on Thursday.

The record high one-year amount came from 1,372 business groups, health providers, local governments, labor unions and lawyers, among others, trying to influence decisions affecting their special interests.

Most of the expenditures went for salaries and expenses of lobbyists employed to keep track of what is going on in the Capitol.

The total was nearly four times the $19 million spent to lobby state government in 1975, according to the commission.

Second Year

If the present spending trend continues, the total for the 1985-86 legislative session could hit the $148-million mark. This is the second year of the session.

The commission said $112.5 million was spent on lobbying during the 1983-84 session.

The largest individual lobbyist spender was the Pacific Gas & Electric Co., with $11,805,832. However, a PG&E; spokesman said 98% of the amount was spent on legally required rate hearings before the Public Utilities Commission. Second was the Pacific Telesis Group, which also has to participate in PUC rate hearings, with $3,426,244.

Next in line were the Western Oil and Gas Assn., $1,956,028; California Investment Environmental Coalition, $1,245,030; California Medical Assn., $931,936, and California Tax Reduction Movement, $722,400.

Also, Chevron USA Inc., $718,799; Assn. of California Insurance Companies, $598,720; Irvine Co., $585,237, and California Teachers Assn., $532,768.

Broken down by category, business groups topped lobbyist spending last year at $28,094,782.

Health Groups

Utilities spent $18.2 million, including PUC rate hearing representation, followed by health and medical groups, $6 million; local government agencies, $5.2 million, and public and private educational institutions, $4.6 million.

Lobbying firms and lobbyists receiving more than $500,000 from clients during the year included Carpenter, Zenovich & Associates, $957,166; Advocation Inc., $951,228; A-K Associates Inc., $914,265; Clayton R. Jackson & Co., $866,129; George R. Steffes Inc., $631,498, and Paul Priolo Inc., $558.475.