They flow onward.
An excerpt.
Questions on donation timing
Critics of flood bills give $500,000 after legislation is pulled.
By Jim Sanders -- Bee Capitol BureauPublished 12:01 am PDT Saturday, August 26, 2006
A campaign committee controlled by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata accepted a half-million dollars from a builders' trade group Thursday, just two days after the Oakland Democrat killed flood legislation opposed by the group.
The $500,000 donation was made by the California Building Industry Association to Rebuilding California, a committee formed by Perata to promote school, housing transportation and flood-control bonds on the Nov. 7 ballot.
Bob Stern, former general counsel to the Fair Political Practices Commission, said there is nothing illegal about the builders' contribution but that the timing "looks bad."
"You can't say there was an agreement," said Stern, now president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. "But it plays into people's perceptions that decisions are not being made on the merits."
The builders' group, known as CBIA, has led a fierce fight against two flood-control measures -- Assembly Bills 1899 and 1528 -- that were linchpins in an eight-bill package of legislation killed Tuesday by Perata.
Perata and committees he controls have long-standing ties to development interests, which have donated about $1 million in the past two years -- including $50,000 from Sacramentan Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, who did not return calls for comment Friday.
Perata earlier this week said there was no connection between special-interest contributions and his killing of the flood bills.
Perata said that last-minute amendments by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger weakened AB 1899 and that it made little sense to hurry negotiations in an effort to reach agreement before next Thursday, when the legislative session adjourns.
