Posted on 05/09/2002 6:24:35 AM PDT by randita
Questions raised over another Davis gift
Donation in 2000 from firm that won huge state contract
Greg Lucas, Sacramento Bureau Chief
Thursday, May 9, 2002
Sacramento -- A company that won approval of a $453 million contract in 2000 to help California manage welfare cases gave $50,000 to Gov. Gray Davis' campaign within a day of hiring one of the governor's top fund-raisers as a lobbyist.
The contribution by Accenture, an international consulting firm, was made while the Davis administration was weighing whether to drop one of the four providers of software for the huge computer system California uses to keep track of welfare recipients.
The company says there was no link between its contribution in March 2000 and the decision later to retain all four software providers, including Accenture.
As lawmakers investigate the Davis administration's questionable $95 million contract with Oracle, Accenture's large contribution provides more ammunition for critics who say the best way to gain the governor's ear is to send a sizable check to his campaign.
"It's like anteing in to a poker game. You may not win, but you can't even play unless you ante," said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. "This administration has made it more pervasive and a much bigger ante."
Davis' tireless fund raising has so far created a $30 million re-election war chest.
"The governor bases his policy decisions on what's in the best interests of the citizens of the state of California and nothing else. Any innuendo or assertion otherwise is ridiculous," said Roger Salazar, Davis campaign spokesman.
EXPENSIVE PROJECT
Accenture's software is used by the State Automated Welfare System, the most expensive computer project ever undertaken by the state. The project is designed to eventually allow California's 58 counties to track welfare, food stamp and Medicaid recipients and determine benefit eligibility.
Instead of one system for the whole state, the counties use one of four. Accenture provides the system used by Riverside, San Bernardino, Merced and Stanislaus. Its product is regarded by users of the welfare system as the most effective of the four.
The decision to make the contribution to Davis came in March 2000 as the state was weighing whether it was cheaper to have fewer software providers.
As the provider serving the smallest consortium of counties, Accenture was worried that it would be the first one cut, said sources familiar with the state's review of the computer system.
In November 1999, Accenture's four counties submitted for state approval the 13-year, $453 million deal under which California taxpayers would shoulder about $130 million. The counties pay $16 million. Federal money makes up the difference.
But when the approval request reached Grantland Johnson, Health and Human Services cabinet secretary to Davis, he questioned why four software providers were needed and commissioned a study.
GOVERNOR'S FUND-RAISER
Accenture, on March 2, 2000, hired Sacramento lobbyist Darius Anderson, who has close ties to Davis and is one of the governor's chief fund-raisers. Contribution records disagree, but on either March 1 or March 3, the company gave Davis $50,000.
In July, Johnson's study was completed. It said the welfare system should stick with four software providers.
"We've never made a contribution with the expectation of receiving anything in return," said Barbara Hohbach, an Accenture spokeswoman. "Our work for the government in California has been won through competitive bidding. We won the contracts because our employees have demonstrated an understanding of our clients' needs and possess experience in these complex projects."
The company received final approval for its contract in the spring of 2001, Hohbach said.
Davis received another $25,000 contribution from Accenture in August last year -- the company's only cash contribution in 2001.
Hohbach said she did not know whether the original contribution was Accenture's idea or Anderson's. Anderson said his contract with Accenture prevented him from commenting on his work for the company.
"This contract was the first time the secretary had a chance to comment on this whole process. He simply raised the question of 'is this the best way to do it,' " said Bertha Gorman, a spokesman for Johnson.
Gorman said Johnson knew nothing about any contribution to Davis.
"That is something we don't have any involvement in at all," Gorman said. "We had no awareness of it."
Stern said it doesn't matter whether Johnson knew about the contribution.
"It's insurance. You buy insurance in case there's a crisis. It's a way to ensure your message is heard," said Stern. "It's probable they never had to go to Davis or cash in the insurance, but it was there if they needed it."
Accenture also gave the state Democratic Party $100,000 in July 2000, keyed to the party's national convention that year in Los Angeles.
Accenture has a $6.4 million contract with the Department of General Services, the bureaucracy that approved the Oracle deal now being investigated.
Accenture is also part of a team of companies bidding to create the state's $1.2 billion child-support computer network.
The team, which includes IBM, is the sole bidder for that contract.
THE COMPANY
""We've never made a contribution with the expectation of receiving anything in return.''
Barbara Hohbach,
Accenture spokeswoman
THE DAVIS CAMPAIGN
""The governor bases his policy decisions on what's in the best interests of the citizens of the state of California and nothing else. Any innuendo or assertion otherwise is ridiculous.''
Roger Salazar,
Davis campaign spokesman
THE CAMPAIGN WATCHDOG
""It's like anteing in to a poker game. You may not win but you can't even play unless you ante.''
-- Bob Stern, Center for Governmental Studies
E-mail Greg Lucas at glucas@sfchronicle.com.
©2002 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 1
CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY REPORT:
"In August 2000, Andersen Consulting, a division of Andersen Worldwide, formally split from Arthur Andersen, the more traditional auditing and accounting component of the firm. After arbitration, Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture, a change it made in January 2001. Accenture became a publicly traded company four months later."
Is one incompetent liberal worth it to the Democrats to spend $30 million on? Is the governor job really worth that much? Bend over California, Ass-enter has paid for entry.
I honestly don't know what's going to happen in November. Everyone keeps saying, "California is so liberal, California is a socialist state" yada, yada, but when you look at the elections over the last decade, that is not completely true.
While California is more liberal than I would like, California also passed very conservative initiatives. In 2000, Prop. 22 passed with nearly 62% of the vote ... this was the "Protection of Marriage" initiative that recognizes marriage as ONLY between a man and a woman.
In 1998, Prop. 226 narrowly was defeated that would have made union dues voluntary. The opponents of this spent ten times more than the proponents, and BARELY defeated the measure. On the same ballot, Prop. 227 ... which ends bilingual education ... passed overwhelmingly ... particularly in Hispanic communities. Of course, we need a REPUBLICAN governor to stop stalling the initiative.
California passed Prop. 13 and two follow-up measures. It took THREE TRIES and MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars and lies to get the 2/3 vote for school bonds reduced to 55% vote in 2000.
On a map, California is represented by Republicans like George Bush's county victories in 2000 --- you would think that Republicans dominated the state. That's because San Francisco and L.A. are about half the population in those two counties. California should really be three states.
This election is going to be hard, but Bill Simon has what it takes to win. He's conservative -- which gets the Republicans motivated and gives independents and Democrats a reason to switch (on THEIR single-issues like GUNS and TAXES); and Gray Davis is a corrupt, vindictive and insane politician. People are beginning to see that he only cares about money, not California.
Anyway, I know I'm ranting, but Simon DEFINITELY has a shot. Davis and the Democrats will LIE, CHEAT and attempt to STEAL the election -- that's why Republicans need to be diligent.
Go Simon!
Dump Davis!
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