AT&T wields enormous power in Sacramento
Posted by Newsletter Reprint on April 26, 2012
This just came across the wire from the Stop Special Interest Now campaign. (Full Disclosure: Custom Campaigns is doing consulting work for Stop Special Interest Money):
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AT&T wields enormous power in SacramentoLA Times reports: No other single corporation has spent more trying to influence legislators in recent years. It dispenses millions in political donations and has an army of lobbyists. Bills it opposes are usually defeated.
The front page story in the LA Times on Saturday on AT&T’s enormous power in Sacramento is a clear illustration of the need for Stop Special Interest Money Now reforms to reduce special interest influence. This peek behind the curtain shows the cozy relationships corporations develop with Sacramento lawmakers, driven primarily by the influence of money changing hands, and the effect it has on policy. As the story indicates, “AT&T hands out, on average, more than $1 million in political contributions each year. Every current member of the Legislature has received at least $1,000; chairmen of the committees that oversee the telecommunications industry get far more.” The Stop Special Interest Money Now Act would put an end to these corporate contributions to state and local lawmakers, reducing their influence substantially. The Stop Special Interest Money Now initiative reduces the power of special interests across the board by: 1) banning both corporate and labor union contributions to state and local candidates 2) prohibiting government contractors from contributing to state and local officials who can award them contracts 3) barring corporations, government employers, and labor unions from collecting funds from employees by payroll deduction and using that money for politics. Learn More about the campaign to Stop Special Interest Money Now. Excerpts from the LA Times article: “AT&T’s wins come at the state Capitol, where the company focuses most of its lobbying efforts. There, lawmakers have passed bills that have translated into millions of dollars for the firm’s bottom line and stopped dozens of measures that AT&T has opposed.” “A handful of labor unions and trade groups have spent more on a combination of lobbying and direct political giving, but state records show that in the last seven years, no single corporation has spent as much trying to influence lawmakers as AT&T. At the same time, a tide of consumer protections has ebbed and the company has been unshackled from the watchful eye of state regulators.” “From 1999, when the state began keeping electronic records of lobbying activity, through the end of 2011, AT&T spent more money trying to influence public officials than any other single corporation. In those 13 years, according to records from the California secretary of state, AT&T and its affiliates spent more than $47 million on lobbying — more than twice the figure for the next biggest corporate spender, Edison International, which shelled out about $21.9 million.” Read the LA Time Article here. Help us put a stop to special interest corruption in Sacramento. Here are a few things you can do right now to make a difference:
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Paid for by Stop Special Interest Money Now, supported by A. Jerrold Perenchio and Californians Against Special Interests. 455 Capitol Mall, Suite 600, Sacramento, CA 95814
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OC Political 
disgusted said
Wow. Unbelievable that you are trying to spin this story in support of your corporate deception union busting initiative. Be honest with your readers and admit that this initiative will do nothing to stop AT&T or any other corporation from controlling Sacramento as they cuerently do. The only thong this initiative will do is to strip working people of their voice in government. This is pathetic. I actually had respect for this new blog and the objective stories I had seen up until this point.
Brenda McCune said
Dear Disgusted, please note this is a “Newsletter Reprint”. These are periodically posted here, as they are received from campaigns and elected officials. Of course coming directly from the campaignf, there is going to be “spin” involved.
Chris Emami said
Hater in the house.
disgusted said
We can disagree about the issues but please have the integrity to accurately reflect the initiative. You and the backers of the initiative want to strip unions of political power. You know that this will do nothing to change the power that AT&T and the other corporations wield. Just be honest and say it.
Chris Emami said
I am not going to debate you on this much longer because I have better ways to spend my evening but I would say taking millions of dollars out of politics from both corporations and unions is a great start to a really big problem.
One thing that you and I might agree on is that although this initiative may not be perfect it is a great start to solving a really big problem in California.
Along the same lines as Brenda you do realize that we are simply reposting a press release issued from the campaign.
disgusted said
This is not simply a reposting of a press release. The disclaimer clearly states that you and the other owners of this blog are doing consulting work for this initiative. Kudos on admitting that you are being paid to blog on this issue, but shame on continuing to put forth the ruse that this initiative will have any impact on corporate political activity.
Brenda McCune said
Consulting is just that. No one is being paid to blog about anything here. If this blog was simply paid for propagana, your comments would have been deleted. It is an open forum, all opinions are welcome. From a readers point of view though, I’d appreciate it if you actually read the material carefully before spewing your unsupported negativity. Your input has offered nothing to this discussion.
Chris Nguyen said
Here’s a link to the text of the measure, so everyone can read it for themselves:
Click to access i941_initiative_11-0010.pdf