SACRAMENTO — Three years after Arnold Schwarzenegger entered his first race for governor, state Treasurer Phil Angelides on Monday unveiled a plan to curb political corruption in the Capitol, and accused his Republican rival of "shamefully" ignoring his own pledges made in the recall campaign.
Angelides' proposal would require political consultants in Sacramento to more fully disclose their clients; enact first-ever penalties for conflicts of interest; ban top officials from taking jobs outside of government; and require nonprofit groups that aid elected officials to disclose their donors.
Angelides spoke at the State Railroad Museum -- the same spot where Schwarzenegger promised to "bring trust back to government" in the turbulent 2003 recall race. There, Schwarzenegger had invoked former Gov. Hiram Johnson, the populist reformer who challenged the railroad barons' stranglehold on the Capitol.
"Hiram Johnson would be rolling in his grave if he saw the Schwarzenegger administration," Angelides said, speaking as a class of noisy children trampled nearby.
The Schwarzenegger campaign accused Angelides of being a hypocrite who "will say anything if it will benefit him politically." Angelides, the aides pointed out, has voted to give lucrative investments from the state's pension fund to some of his political donors.
Angelides would require political consulting firms to report their clients, if they are assisting corporate lobbyists on legislation. Such firms have proliferated in recent years, and none of them discloses clients even though they are paid to influence public policy.
One of the most prominent of the firms is California Strategies, run by Bob White, a former chief of staff to Gov. Pete Wilson and a Schwarzenegger confidante during the recall campaign. Because of his connections, White moves in the highest circles of California government, but he is not required to report the corporate interests he represents.
A spokesman for White declined comment on Angelides' proposal.
Angelides also wants "Astroturf" campaigns -- the creation of front groups to give the appearance of grass-roots support for legislation -- to disclose who is behind their efforts. And he would require fines for conflict-of-interest violations by elected officials who receive income from companies or individuals that benefit from their political decisions. Currently, the only requirement is that officials disclose potential conflicts.
