SACRAMENTO, Calif- Last week, Central Coast News told you legislators and aides were gifted $125,000 in free Disneyland tickets since 2000. On Wednesday, we learned one local lawmaker pushing for gifts like that to stop has also received free stuff.
Sen. Cannella voted in May to stop lawmakers from accepting certain special interest gifts. These include gifts that have no legislative purpose, like concert, sports and theme park tickets.
A month later, Sen. Cannella got tickets to the U.S. Open Golf Championship from AT&T. The price tag on that was $420.
He issued this statement to Central Coast News: "I voted for SB 1426 because I believe there is merit to restricting the types of gifts that can be given to the Legislature. I can only speak for myself in that if I am given tickets to a sporting event, I am not influenced by those who provide them to me. I make decisions based upon what is in the best interest of my constituents and the people of California."
Larry Adams, political science instructor at Hartnell College in Salinas, said it's a way for businesses to develop a relationship with lawmakers and it doesn't always look good.
"You and I, the average person, is going to view this gift as perhaps corruption, giving something for something in return," he said. "I think that's a real big problem for people in California when they see these gifts being given at a time of economic distress and problems with the state budget."
No one knows that more than Central Coast Sen. Sam Blakeslee who was behind the bill. He issued this statement to Central Coast News: "This bill prohibits eight types of gifts that simply have no legislative purpose: tickets to concerts, like the Rolling Stones, spa treatments, sitting courtside at the Lakers game, tee-times in Maui, gift cards and tickets to the racetrack. These entertainment gifts are deeply corrosive to the public's confidence. Sacramento needs to get rid of the perception that special interests enjoy special access lawmakers. This was our fifth attempt at closing this special interest gift loophole, and so its defeat was disappointing. But this issue is not going away. The public is watching and expects the legislature to get its house in order. It is just a matter of time before this loophole is closed."
State law says each lawmaker can receive up to $420 in gifts from a particular source during a course of a year.
