Posted on 06/29/2006 6:10:54 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
California's prison guards have given Democratic gubernatorial challenger Phil Angelides a maximum $22,300 donation, but representatives for the powerful union say the contribution does not constitute an endorsement.
"While we continue to evaluate the direction we are going to take in the fall, we do recognize that candidates have to be able to reach out to the voting public and voice their vision for California," said Lance Corcoran, spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA).
The union has not donated to Gov. Schwarzenegger's campaign.
The well-heeled union is believed to be sitting on a $10 million--or larger--war chest for a fall independent-expenditure campaign and is actively being courted by Treasurer Angelides and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Corcoran downplayed the significance of the Angelides donation. "I think if anyone thinks they can run for constitutional office in California with $22,000, they don't understand the electoral process," he said.
"In the world of political action, not just pertaining to the CCPOA, $22,000 is a drop in the bucket," Corcoran added.
This is not the first time the CCPOA has given money to candidates they have not endorsed. In this year's Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, the union gave maximum contributions to both Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, and Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, though the union did not endorse either candidate.
In the primary contest for attorney general, the CCPOA gave maximum donations to Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and Sen. Chuck Poochigian, R-Fresno. The union has not yet endorsed in the general-election campaign.
"Two things make them powerful: They are unpredictable and they are fearless," said Ray McNally, the union's longtime political consultant. "That is a pretty potent combination in politics."
Ned Wigglesworth, an analyst with TheRestofUs.org, a campaign-finance watchdog group, said the donation is "a drop in the ocean" for the union and part of its complex political gamesmanship.
"It blows up the argument that campaign contributions are some form of free speech," said Wigglesworth. "They are not. In this case, they are a way to gain favor with Mr. Angelides or to send a message to Schwarzenegger. This is all part of their political game."
Angelides' press secretary Brian Brokaw said that it is not uncommon for a group that has not endorsed to make a maximum contribution.
"Phil Angelides is proud to have the support of more than 23,000 donors, including many in the law enforcement community," Brokaw added.
The CCPOA is hardly the first organization or individual to donate to candidates they have not endorsed. Jerry Perenchio, the head executive at Univision, has been a top donor for each of the last three governors, Republicans and Democrats alike.
Ameriquest, a mortgage-lending company, lapped more than $650,000 on the California Democratic Party last year, while giving more than $300,000 to the New Majority, a moderate Republican group, and the California Republican Party.
"The CCPOA is not alone in playing both sides of the game," says Wigglesworth.
The Angelides donation, which was made on June 14, is intended for primary debt reduction and comes as the state's prisons have been in the headlines. The CCPOA currently is negotiating a labor contract with the Schwarzenegger administration. And last week, prisons Special Master John Hagar issued a report denouncing the growing influence of the CCPOA on the prison system, including their role in the resignations of the last two secretaries of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Rod Hickman and Jeanne Woodford.
This week, Schwarzenegger called for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the state's prison crisis. Schwarzenegger is urging the passage of a $1 billion prison bond, among other reforms.
"It is not good public policy to allow the prison system to go into meltdown," said McNally. "And it is certainly not good politics."
Schwarzenegger called for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the state's prison crisis. Schwarzenegger is urging the passage of a $1 billion prison bond, among other reforms.
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Got a spare Billion?
Oh great. So the prison guards, paid by the taxpayers, are donating to political campaigns with taxpayer money. Great. Govt employees shouldn't even be allowed to vote much less contribute taxpayer paid money to candidates.
Well, that's how it works. The big thing in california is that the unions (for the state) use their workers money without asking the worker. Crappy system, but it keeps the left going strong here.
Get rid of that and we'd find the left is more or less on equal grounds with conservatives.
Certainly they could have found a simple little One Billion dollars out of the $131 Billion dollar budget they just passed. Or, out of the $9 Billion in extra revenues they miraculously found (i.e. leftovers of the money the already borrowed).
Another bond? More borrowing? Another credit card? No thanks.
Better idea. Round up the non-violent illegal alien offenders and deport them. Why house them for years, only to deport them at the end of their sentence? In LA County, more than 25% of arrests are for illegal aliens. That might make a dent in the overcrowding.
Hmm... RAT gets Maximum donation. Arnold gets $0. Looks like an "endorsement" to me.
I *loathe* independent expenditures by the unions. After 2005, no one can not see how corruptive they are to our political system.
The Ameriquest method seems to be the norm for some in big business. Spread it around, cover all the bases and something will take root.
The CCPOA is one of many unions yet to get new contract deals with the state. in this day and age and being an election year, who knows they might confound everyone and endorse the Gub..
It's *worse*, under Grey Davis the legislature passed (and he signed) a requirement that all state workers have to pay union dues even if they do not join the union. This applies to even employees of the University of CA system, not just direct state employees.
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