County supervisors recently heard a presentation from a
grant-writing and lobbying firm.
County supervisors recently heard a presentation from a grant-writing and lobbying firm. The firm is one of 400 lobbying firms and 1,820 lobbyists registered with the Secretary of State doing business in Sacramento – and that business, often paid for with public funds, is very good. More than 2,800 public and private interest groups spent $539 million lobbying the state government during the 2009-2010 legislative session. They are currently on track to spend $573 million during the current two-year session, a 6 percent increaseÂ
This is a business where the customers often find you because you have something they need – the ear of the state government. The state has set up a system where everyone needs a lobbyist, but who are they? The natural groups are former elected and appointed officials, former staffers, their associates, families, and friends. This is a business built around insiders and influence.
No one spends more than a half-billion dollars for nothing.
The biggest users of lobbying might surprise you: It’s the government. That’s right, 446 cities, counties, transportation agencies, water districts, and others spent $89.8 million in 2009-2010 to lobby the State of California on more than 600 issues. However, it’s just the tip of the iceberg; government and public agencies often lobby in categories other than “government.”
Education interest groups spent a total of $37.9 million and these included public agencies such as the Los Angeles Unified School District – $895,000 – the San Diego Superintendent of Schools and the Long Beach Unified School District, but those expenditures were small potatoes compared to lobbying by school system employees. The California Teachers Association, California Faculty Association, Association of California School Administrators, and California School Employees Association combined to spend more than $17 million in several categories.
The health industry was no slouch either, kicking in $61.8 million to defend their interests. The California Hospital Association, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, California Alliance of Children and Family Services, and California Association of Health Plans combined for $12.1 million. Where was Anthem Blue Cross? They spent $2.2 million but in the category listed as finance/insurance, not health. You may have figured out by now that lobby groups can be in several categories, even where you don’t expect them.
The category called political organizations must be a public relations problem because there are only three paying members, contributing less than $400,000, total. That’s nonsense of course; every penny spent on lobbying is political in one way or another. Oil and gas are in for $22.2 million including the single largest spender, the Western States Petroleum Association, $9.3 million. Everyone is on the list somewhere – all the lobbies you love and all the lobbies hate – agriculture, education, entertainment/recreation, finance/insurance, government, health, labor unions, legal, lodging/restaurants, manufacturing/industrial, merchandise/retail, oil/gas, political organizations, professional/trade, public employees, real estate, transportation, utilities, and miscellaneous.
The miscellaneous category, with the largest number of active members, 594, was the second biggest contributor by category, $79.3 million; it has some interesting groups once you get past the major spenders like AT&T, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, National Federation of Independent Business, and California Transit Association that spent $11 million combined. Then you get to Poker Voters of America who spent a surprising $321,000. Why do I think this has something to do with Card Clubs?
Lobbying is a Big Dog league. The top 6.5 percent of the interest groups spent 50 percent of the funds. If you ever wonder why California’s legislation so often favors special interests over the public interest, just pull out the lobby list – the answer is there somewhere.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident.
