Burying Truth

Politicians of a certain bent usually can hide cynical, self-serving motives, but occasionally they are so cynical and self-serving that thereis no way to disguise them. So it is with a little-noticed amendment attached to an obscure bill in the California Legislature earlier this month. It would make the records of the Fair Political Practices Commission confidential, thereby blocking public scrutiny of investigations of political malfeasance.

This bill (AB 2203) is so important to the legislators that it is being sponsored by the Republican and Democratic leaders of both houses: Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), Assembly Minority Leader Pat Nolan (R-Glendale), Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) and Senate Minority Leader Ken Maddy (R-Fresno). But public access to the records of commission investigations is so important to so many more people than the legislative leadership that the rest of the legislators should reject this measure, which would make it impossible for the public to oversee the actions of its watchdog agency. The integrity of the government and public confidence in the integrity of the government are at stake here.

Even the timing of this amendment bespeaks self-interest. It was submitted less than three weeks after the San Jose Mercury News filed suit to prevent the commission from destroying the files of its investigation of former Assemblyman Frank Vicencia, a Bellflower Democrat and friend of Speaker Brown. The commission has refused to hand over the records, and Brown is spearheading a bill to take the decision away from a judge.

The motives of Brown, Nolan, Roberti and Maddy are as clear as day. They don’t want the public snooping into politicians’ affairs or asking too many embarrassing questions. Not that some politicos have anything to hide. Of course not.

Public oversight of the commission is crucial. This is particularly true now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government may not prosecute political corruption under the mail-fraud statute. This ruling essentially removes the feds from policing state and local governments and leaves the Fair Political Practices Commission as the agency to do it.

If the commission can hide its records, there is no way for the rest of us to find out what is going on. That state of affairs may serve a politician’s interests, but not the public’s. The legislators should do the unthinkable and put the public interest before their self-interest.