By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Legislation to restrict free tickets and other gifts to lawmakers died quietly Thursday without a public vote in an election year.
The measure targeted freebies ranging from golf outings to spa treatments given by individuals or groups that hire lobbyists.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee shelved Senate Bill 1426, so it will not reach the Assembly floor and no committee member will be on record opposing it.
Republican Sen. Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo pushed the bill and has proposed a similar crackdown for several years in a row.
Each year, such restrictions hit a brick wall in the Legislature.
California already imposes strict gift limits on lobbyists and lobbying firms, which cannot give lawmakers gifts exceeding $10 per month.
But groups or individuals that hire lobbyists or lobbying firms can buy a lawmaker gifts totaling up to $420 per year.
SB 1426 targeted golf, skiing, hunting or fishing trips, as well as gift cards and tickets to theme parks, racetracks, and professional sporting events.
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I’m shocked! It is just wrong to ask an elected official to pay for his own ticket to Disneyland! There is no way he can afford it before hs pension kicks in.