Tickets, trips among gifts officials list

California's elected officials reported gifts of thousands of dollars in foreign travel in 2007.

Foreign government groups, cultural exchange foundations, universities, nonprofits and other interest groups paid to send lawmakers on trips to China, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Israel, Jordan and Azerbaijan.

When they weren't traveling overseas, they were busy taking free spa treatments, Disneyland tickets and admission to horse races and other events.

Those are some of the details found in economic disclosure statements filed last week with the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

State lawmakers and constitutional officers are required to submit annual statements of economic interests, including their investments and outside income and an accounting of all gifts received during the year.

The gift reports cover everything from the $1.50 turkey jerky samples given lawmakers by the California Poultry Association to the $22 mooncake that Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, got from the Taipei Economic Cultural Center.

The reports include the $1,000 in tickets to Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando and Sea World that the Walt Disney Co., NBC Universal and Anheuser-Busch provided Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Newark.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman John Benoit, R-Palm Desert, reported receiving a $285 ticket to the Preakness horse race from the Los Angeles Turf Club. Controller John Chiang reported $300 in Rose Bowl tickets and parking from the Tournament of Roses. Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, listed a $305 ticket to baseball's All-Star Game given by MasterCard Worldwide.

The gifts are perfectly legal: State law allows politicians to receive items totaling up to $390 annually from a single source. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reported 90 gifts totaling nearly $14,000 in cigars, liquor, even spark plugs and a dog tethering kit.

But the freebies can stir unwanted attention and scrutiny for elected officials, said Bob Stern, president of the nonprofit Center for Governmental Studies.

"California has a very good disclosure law. It's very detailed and it does serve as a deterrent to accepting lavish gifts from special interests because there is a reporting of it and stories written," said Stern, who helped draft the state's 1974 disclosure law.

The FPPC does not make the statements available online, but The Bee has posted them on its Web site, www.sacbee.com/disclosures.

The biggest expenses officials reported involved foreign trips purportedly for educational, trade, environmental, technology and cultural exchanges.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the William C. Velasquez Institute spent more than $3,000 per lawmaker to send an Assembly delegation including Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, and members Robert Huff, R-Diamond Bar, Mike Duvall, R-Yorba Linda, and Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, to study high-speed rail in France.

Núñez also received $15,702 from the World Economic Forum to attend its conference in Davos, Switzerland.

The California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy spent $15,000 each on Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford, Assemblyman Curren Price, D-Inglewood, and Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, on a travel study tour of South Africa.

The CFEE group, which advocates "non-adversarial cooperation" on economic, social and environmental issues, includes representatives from Shell Energy and Chevron Corp., the Construction Trades Council of California, the Union of Concerned Scientists and the University of California. It also paid more than $10,000 to send state Sen. Bob Dutton, R-Rancho Cucamonga, to a study program in Japan.

The nonprofit California Climate Action Registry spent more than $2,000 so that Assemblyman Ira Ruskin, D-Redwood City, could attend a London climate change educational exchange program. He also got gifts of $40 in cologne and $50 in theater tickets.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong spent $12,428 to host Lt. Gov. John Garamendi. Meanwhile, the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation sent lawmakers to Europe for an exchange program on U.S.-German relations. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles paid for legislators to go to Israel. The Fundación Nueva Generación picked up the tab for a legislative delegation visiting Argentina.

And Azerbaijan's parliament paid $2,160 each to host state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and Assemblywomen Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, and Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach.

Stern said he believes the foreign trips are important because "lawmakers should get out of Sacramento and see the rest of the world and what is going on in other areas."

But Stern said he is a "lone voice" who would prefer that the state of California pick up the costs – billing taxpayers instead of organizations trying to influence lawmakers.

"If the trip is for legitimate government purposes, I would rather have the trip paid by everybody than a few special interests," Stern said.

He said he also didn't think lawmakers need to be taking one particularly common gift – free tickets to Disneyland from Disney officials "trying to build good will."

"Most families pay their own way, even though it's very expensive these days," Stern said.

One lawmaker, Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, appeared to be particularly sensitive about accepting gifts.

Berg, who listed costs of numerous meals, wrote a letter of explanation to the FPPC saying she was reporting the value of lunches and dinners served at political receptions she attended. But she insisted she has a policy of not actually eating any of the free food.

But her disclosure report form allowed for one slip-up in her rules. In listing $35.40 for a reception by the League of California Cities, Berg explained: "One glass of wine. Did not eat."

About the writer:

• Call Peter Hecht, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5539.