Two state senators – one Democrat and one Republican – demanded last week that the California State University system's trustees tell them who authorized spending for a "legislative report card" that rated lawmakers on how well they supported the system's political goals.
Sens. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, and Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, got low marks in the compilation of votes and other actions affecting CSU's political agenda this year.
The report card was apparently a parting gesture by Chancellor Charles Reed, who has announced his retirement.
No legislator earned an A.
Yee, who got a D, and Anderson, who got an F, called it "a gross misuse" of taxpayer funds. They sent a letter to Robert Linscheid, board of trustees chairman, demanding to know how much was spent and who authorized it.
Michael Uhlenkamp, a CSU spokesman, said the issuing of the scorecard was approved by campus presidents, the executive staff at the chancellor's office and the chancellor.
"As with any decision coming from the chancellor's office, final approval of the scorecard came from Chancellor Reed. ... We have received positive feedback from student and alumni groups, and legislators as well," Uhlenkamp said.
– Dan Walters
CAPITOL ALERT
Capitol Alert's Torey Van Oot sat down last week with colleagues to go over the basics of some of the statewide ballot measures facing voters on Tuesday. You'll find Jon Ortiz discussing Proposition 32, the campaign finance measure; Kevin Yamamura looking at Propositions 30 and 38 on taxes; and Laurel Rosenhall on Proposition 37 to label genetically modified foods, all at capitolalert.com.
– Bee Capitol Bureau
WORTH REPEATING
"(President Barack Obama) could be more active in terms of picking up the phone and calling people."
U.S. SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California Democrat, telling the Fresno Bee's editorial board last week that the president could do more to move his agenda along by making personal calls to push his legislation – something, she said, that former Democratic President Bill Clinton did with great success
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