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Gophack - I'm preparing a "list of demands" to present to CSEA on Thursday. Got any suggestions? One will be to disclose CSEA's staff salaries (individually) and also the pattern of their raises over the last five years. What do you think? Thanks again for your help here. By the way, someone doubted CSEA spent ONLY $1.2 million. Do you think it might be more? Another demand is that CSEA divulge exactly how much, and to whom, they contributed to political candidates and causes.

Don't you think it's ironic that they are refusing to give me information? I've been keeping Eric Hogue of KTKZ radio and Dan Walters, columnist, advised of what I'm doing. Eric had shown some interest before the election when I raised a stink about CSEA endorsing Gray Davis. Grrrrrrrr. Hoping he'll help out this time around. I love that guy!! By the way, Eric Hogue is a bona fide freeper! Yahoo! (Not sure I trust Dan Walters but he can be fair when he puts his mind to it.) For victory & freedom!!!

My take home pay, as an Office Technician, is $2,181.61 per month. Why is the CSEA afraid/ashamed to tell me what their salaries are? I'd also like them to give me the pattern of their pay raises over the last five years. They have also refused to tell me which candidates received how much from CSEA. Gophack provided a list but why wouldn't CSEA give me the list? It's weird!

I heard that the President of CSEA received a 28% pay increase recently. CSEA refuses to confirm or deny this. It's infuriating!

Why does everything in California have to be so darned complicated?!

By law, they have to disclose to the Secretary of State. I actually would probably do the same thing as them and refer someone to the SOS for the reports. If I had an organization to run, I wouldn't want to spend staff time and money on pulling together reports, copying, mailing them when they are all available on-line already.

Second, if they spent more than they reported that would be a crime. But you would have to have proof. How? Find a contribution they didn't report. Almost impossible, wouldn't you say? You could compare the reports from every candidate to CSEAs report and make sure they match up, but that, to me, seems to be a waste of time unless you know for sure they are not disclosing and just need to find it. I don't think you know, but people are simply in disbelief that they only spent $1.2 million. I'm not. There are new contribution limits, so they can't spend what they have in the past.

Before you put together your demands, make sure you understand how the organization works. Public, private, dues, mandatory dues or voluntary, etc. Then come up with your questions and concerns. And don't call them demands. List them as questions, reasonable questions that reasonable people would want to know the answer to. For example, if you find out the dues are mandatory (I don't believe they are), then I would ask why they only gave 3.8% of their money to Republicans when Republicans make up XX% of state employees? (I have no idea how to find that information, I doubt you can.) But I just threw it out as an example.

Good luck!