Sacramento scandal scratches the surface – Latest News
Sacramento is pervaded by a tradition of corruption.
Fake non-profit organizations that win public grants. So-called “infrastructure” tasks that by no means get constructed, however at all times get funded.
Public corruption prices tied to the governor’s internal circle. “Behested payments” to politicians’ pet causes and to charities run by their households.
A current and troubling instance includes lobbyist Greg Campbell, who pleaded guilty to federal prices final December, and, allegedly, Dana Williamson, Governor Gavin Newsom’s former chief of workers.
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Both Campbell and Williamson had been publicly celebrated for his or her political abilities earlier than their respective falls from grace.
This case didn’t emerge in a vacuum. It unfolded within an administration and a legislative tradition that permits public corruption to fester unchecked.
Both Campbell and Williamson had been publicly celebrated for his or her political abilities earlier than their respective falls from grace. Capitol insiders thought of Ms. Williamson the very best Sacramento has to offer.
That alone ought to alarm each Californian about the state of our authorities.
I used to be not too long ago requested whether or not my invoice, AB 1560 — which might prohibit people convicted of public corruption from performing as lobbyists — was a response to the newest scandal.
The reply is no. The scandal is a symptom of a a lot deeper downside in Sacramento.
That downside is the legacy of a failed governor, an irresponsible legislature, and a full absence of accountability.
Over the previous decade, California has seen more than 500 convictions for public corruption within the state. That represents a whole bunch of cases by which authorities officers abused the trust of the people they had been sworn to serve.
Reading some of the indictments, one disturbing sample seems again and again: public funds used to bankroll existence of extra.
Your tax {dollars} have paid for luxurious automobiles, lavish journey, designer items — indulgences far past the attain of the average Californian footing the invoice.
The newest instance comes out of Los Angeles, the place the CEO of a homeless nonprofit allegedly spent more than $20 million in public funds on personal luxuries, together with a six-figure Range Rover, a trip home in Greece, and designer clothes.
At the identical time, with the state going through a finances deficit of $18 billion, the legislature is being pressured to think about cuts to dental companies for youngsters with disabilities — cuts that might save much less than what that single govt allegedly spent enriching himself.
Corruption in Sacramento isn’t victimless. The victims are taxpayers, youngsters, and the most susceptible Californians.
Governor Newsom’s evident lack of management, and with the legislature’s unwillingness to carry his administration accountable, have created an surroundings the place corruption thrives.
The California State Auditor not too long ago reported that the California Interagency Council on Homelessness didn’t implement the most simple requirements of planning, coordination, and oversight.
And CBS News not too long ago reported that some three-fourths of all unfavorable audits are ignored by the legislature.
No one is held accountable.
When the governor occurs to be in the state — reasonably than touring in pursuit of the subsequent highlight to fuel his personal ambitions — he nonetheless fails to make use of his govt authority to carry company leaders accountable for ignoring reforms that the legislature has already enacted.
California now faces a completely different type of finances disaster. It a lot reckon not simply with the subsequent deficit, but additionally with the undeniable fact that, for the first time in trendy historical past, the state has endured 4 consecutive finances deficits — with more anticipated forward.
That raises the stakes dramatically.
If corruption continues unchecked, the choices turn into grim and acquainted: raising taxes which might be already amongst the highest in the nation, or chopping important companies for many who need them most.
AB 1560 is barely a first step, however it’s a mandatory one. If California is severe about restoring trust, we should stop permitting those that abuse the public trust to recycle themselves by means of the halls of energy.
Removing corrupt actors from positions of affect is how we start to guard the packages and companies Californians truly care about — and how we begin altering a tradition that has been damaged for much too long.
David Tangipa is a member of the California State Assembly for the eighth district.
