SACRAMENTO — It's been a decade since legendary Hollywood fixer Sidney Korshak was buried following a half-century of rubbing elbows with mobsters, movie executives and politicians.
Now tales of the late lawyer's colorful career -- relegated to newspaper archives and dusty FBI documents -- could reemerge as political fodder in the contest for California attorney general.
A book scheduled for release next week revives decades-old allegations that Democratic candidate Jerry Brown, during his years as California governor, maintained political links to Korshak and other figures with alleged ties to organized crime.
Brown's opponent in the attorney general's race, Republican state Sen. Chuck Poochigian of Fresno, intends to shine a spotlight on the book, "Supermob: How Sidney Korshak and His Criminal Associates Became America's Hidden Power Brokers."
Published by Bloomsbury USA and set to hit sales racks next month, the book by investigative journalist Gus Russo charges that Brown took campaign contributions from Korshak and unions with suspected mob ties during the 1970s, and then granted them political favors.
Brown's campaign strategist, Ace Smith, flatly rejected the book's allegations, calling them moldering nonsense that should be left entombed.
"It's laughable and idiotic," Smith said. "It's in the same category as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. If you're looking for information like that, you should check out Al Capone's vault."
A spokesman for Poochigian, who trails Brown by more than 20 points according to a recent poll, said the rehashed charges against Brown should not be ignored.
"Jerry Brown is seeking to be the chief law enforcement officer of California," said Kevin Spillane, a Poochigian spokesman. "Of course published allegations of Brown receiving campaign support from underworld figures and giving them favors in return should be seriously examined."
In an interview, Russo said the timing of the book's release had nothing to do with Brown's candidacy. But "I would question anyone running for political office who would curry that kind of favor," Russo said.
Brown is mentioned on 17 pages in Russo's 640-page book, which chronicles the rise to power of a group of well-connected power brokers led by Korshak, an "almost vaporous player" behind some of the "shadiest deals" of the 20th century: California land grabs, casino monopolies and Hollywood quid pro quos.
