A Check on Consultants

Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City) has appointed a task force to tackle the growing problem of aggressive lobbying tactics and conflict of interest by political consultants who lobby legislators they helped elect.

This shouldn’t be hard: Prohibit political consultants and campaign managers from being registered lobbyists.

Imagine the influence of a consultant who gets Assemblywoman Jane Doe elected and will be her ticket to another term two years hence. Then the consultant dons his lobbyist hat, goes to Doe and says he has a client who wants her to sponsor a bill. Imagine further if Doe still hasn’t paid all the consultant’s $100,000 bill from the last campaign. Such bald conflicts of interest should be outlawed.

The issue arose in the Assembly several weeks ago when consultant-lobbyist Richie Ross verbally abused the staff members of two legislators who refused to vote against a bill that was of interest to one of his lobbying clients, the United Farm Workers Union. A number of Assembly members were alarmed by Ross’ threat to get one of the recalcitrant member’s bills defeated.

Consider also that Ross represents Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and is a political advisor to Joe and Gavin Maloof, owners of the Sacramento Kings basketball team. Fargo is pushing for a new basketball arena as part of a downtown development. To their credit -- or Ross’ -- the Maloofs are discreetly quiet about their desire for a new arena.

As Times staff writer Nancy Vogel reported, Ross also asked his political client, Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter), to sponsor a bill to make it far more difficult for any non-Indian entity to get into big-time gambling in California.

Ross said he acted on behalf of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Mission Indians, one of his lobbying clients. He denies any conflict of interest.

In another case, a Ross political client, Sen. Mike Machado, a Democrat from Linden in Central California, was writing a bill of interest to the Barona Band of Mission Indians, a lobbying client, to limit the environmental review of a water pipeline to its San Diego County casino, much to the surprise of the senator in the San Diego County district that includes the casino.

Some Capitol sources claim it’s not a big problem because Ross is the only cross-pollinating consultant-lobbyist. But at least one other example has been cited. And with other consultants seeing how wealthy and powerful Ross has become, how could they not be tempted to join the game if it’s legal?

The solution is to make sure it’s not legal.