Davis Releases 1999 Income Tax Records

Gov. Gray Davis did his part to fund the state and federal surplus, writing income tax checks of $1,534 to the state Franchise Tax Board and $8,073 to Uncle Sam, his 1999 income tax return shows.

Davis and his wife, Sharon, paid $39,546 in federal income taxes in 1999, and $10,640 in state income taxes on income of $172,799.

The couple’s 1999 tax returns, released by the governor, reflect an earnings jump from their 1998 income of $109,103 and their 1997 earnings of $143,492.

In addition to Davis’ pay of $136,875 as governor, Davis’ wife earned $35,000 in 1999 for her work as a director of Golden State Foods, a food processor and distributor controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle.

Sharon Davis joined Golden State’s nine-member board at the end of 1998. Golden State Foods, headquartered in Irvine, is the main supplier of beef to McDonald’s restaurants. The company lays claim to devising the recipe for the sauce used on Big Macs.

Burkle, among the state’s largest political donors, is one of Davis’ longtime political benefactors, giving his 1998 election campaign at least $355,000. Burkle had employed Sharon Davis earlier in a charitable foundation he controls.

The main deductions for the governor and his wife, who have no children, were the $8,970 they paid in mortgage interest on their West Hollywood condominium and $6,195 in charitable contributions.

The biggest recipient of their giving was their congregation, the Church of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic parish in Beverly Hills. They gave $1,200 to the National Organization for Women, $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity, and $500 to the Gay & Lesbian Center in Hollywood.

A career politician, Davis reports few investments, other than an individual retirement account--he made the maximum $2,000 contribution to it--and a few bank accounts. Davis spokesman Michael Bustamante explained the governor’s decision to release his tax returns by saying, “If he didn’t, you guys [in the media] would bug him.”