While Budget Sinks, Lawmakers Swim in Gifts

The California state budget may be in the dump, but there are pots of money other than scarce tax dollars to make life a little nicer for elected state officials.

That is clear from the most recent filings outlining gifts received by members of the state Legislature.

Sens. Mike Machado (D-Linden) and Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) take the prize for world travel. Both took trips to Perugia, Italy, on the dime of the regional government of Umbria for 10 days in September. The tab was $2,231 per lawmaker.

Speier and Machado also were among the several lawmakers who allowed the California Foundation on the Environment and Economy to pay $9,669 each for a “study travel project” to Australia and New Zealand. The foundation is funded by major corporations.

Other gifts reported included $320 Kentucky Derby tickets from Hollywood Park to Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark), World Series tickets valued at $320 for Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana), paid for by Southern California Edison, a $184 Paul McCartney concert ticket for Assemblyman Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), courtesy of British Petroleum, and a three-month membership at the Capitol Athletic Club near the capitol (value: $240) for Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove).

Unlike other lawmakers, Speaker Herb Wesson reported many gifts from his colleagues, including a $20 bottle of Dewar’s Scotch and a $20 bottle of chardonnay from Assemblywoman Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel). Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, meanwhile, reported receiving a $152 bottle of wine from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Finally, Sen. Byron Sher (D-Stanford), who is 75 years old, got a $50 skateboard from Giant Skateboard Distribution of Garden Grove. No word on whether Sher used the board.

Putting Limits on Expense Accounts

With an eye toward a still-simmering scandal at home, Assemblyman Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) has introduced a bill to limit how district attorneys can use a special expense account that, until now, has been essentially carte blanche.

Prosecutors from counties with populations greater than 90,000 get at least $5,000 a year for special investigation expenses, according to state law. The money can be spent on criminal cases, to detect crimes (other than vehicle-code misdemeanors) and on “other matters in which the county is interested.”

That last phrase allowed Orange County investigators to use the money for expenses such as lobbying and buying drinks for reporters, according to a critical grand jury report issued last year. Spitzer’s bill would restrict the use of the special fund to only those expenses necessary for criminal and civil cases and for crime detection.

Birthday Bash to Benefit Kids

Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla turns 30 on March 22 and is planning a mega-birthday bash.

The minimum cost of a ticket to attend Padilla’s birthday party at the city-owned Getty House is $1,000, while co-hosts are ponying up $25,000 each. With 150 guests expected, the event is expected to raise $500,000 for one of Padilla’s favorite causes, the Children’s Museum, which is planning a new branch in Padilla’s district.

The council president said he was flattered that his calls for support have been answered by such a distinguished group.

The host committee includes Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, Mayor James K. Hahn, former Lakers star Magic Johnson, actor Edward James Olmos, Rep. Howard Berman and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

What has some people buzzing about the fund-raiser is that some City Hall lobbyists are also on the host committee as well as a “friends” committee whose members put up $5,000 each for the privilege.

Co-hosts include Arnie Berghoff, lobbyist for Sunshine Canyon Landfill; Maureen Kindel, lobbyist for city contractors HMS Host and Clear Channel Ad Shel. “Friends” include Howard Sunkin, lobbyist for the alarm industry, which is fighting a change in the city policy for responding to burglar alarms.

Some ethics watchdogs say the involvement of lobbyists seeking Padilla’s favor is cause for concern.

“People may feel obligated to go because he is the council president,” said Bob Stern, executive director of the Center for Governmental Studies and author of the state’s political reform law.

Responded Padilla: “This is for charity. This is for the kids. Nothing is coming to my political account.”

Civic Participation by Young Voters

The 18-30 age group may be a killer demographic for advertisers, but not for candidates. Last November, fewer than 15% of young people cast ballots, even though they make up 25% of the electorate, according to a recent study released through the Carnegie Corp. of New York.

That doesn’t mean Generation Y is apathetic, said study author Alison Byrne Fields, formerly chief strategist for Rock the Vote. Instead, they prefer other forms of civic participation, such as boycotts and Internet activism.

“Perhaps the time has come to recognize that they are not participating in this seemingly fundamental aspect of democracy because, in their eyes, it does not help them to achieve the goals that they view as important: improving their communities and generating positive social and political change,” she said.

Points Taken

* House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has appointed Rep. George Miller of California to co-chair the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which develops Democratic policy initiatives and strategy in the House of Representatives.

* The San Joaquin Valley’s newest congressmen have joined competing Hispanic caucuses. Reps. Dennis Cardoza of Merced and Devin Nunes of Tulare are Portuguese Americans, a category the Census Bureau does not include in the total for the Hispanic population. Cardoza was criticized during last year’s campaign when he referred to himself as Hispanic. Still, Cardoza has joined the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, while Nunes is in the Hispanic Conference for Republicans.

* Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials say they may have more than paid for Mayor James K. Hahn’s recent Asian Trade Mission with one meeting. DWP honcho Frank Salas met face to face in China with executives of the Shenyang Transformer Co., and as a result the company dropped its price for power generating equipment by 50%, saving the department $1.7 million. The DWP signed the pact last month.

* Former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg has joined the PR firm Fleishman-Hillard as a consultant, where he will be able to provide clients with advice based on his years of experience dealing with federal, state and local government agencies. Hertzberg, who led unsuccessful efforts to enact a borough form of government for Los Angeles, is also keeping his partnership post with the international law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw.

You Can Quote Me

“We must feed the beast or it will feast on us.”

Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga, talking in an internal memo about the media and how the GOP’s new communications operation has provided a steady diet of press releases for media consumption.

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Mark Barabak, Dan Morain, Jean Pasco and Nancy Vogel contributed to this column. Regular columnist Patt Morrison has the day off.