What about Bob?

by CalWatchdog Staff | January 7, 2010 12:02 pm

Last night FlashReport[1] posted this item[2] saying State Senator Bob Dutton[3] (R, Riverside, San Bernardino) will be the next Senate Republican Leader.

“This is great news as Dutton is a solid conservative who will provide strong leadership for his caucus,” FlashReport’s Jon Fleischman wrote.

I’m always fascinated when I see a term like “solid conservative” attached to a California legislator–even a Republican one. This is because Dutton, like many of his GOP colleagues, is a darling of the state’s public employee unions.

According to campaign finance reports filed with the California Secretary of State (you can read some of them here[4], here[5], here [6]and here[7]), since 2005 Dutton has taken at least (I might have missed some) $21,450 from unions and associations representing state employees. Here’s a brief rundown:

* California Association of Highway Patrolmen: $3,550
* Faculty Assocation of California Community Colleges: $1,500
* California Professional Firefighters: $6,300
* Peace Officer Research Association of California: $1,800
* San Bernardino Conty Firefighters State PAC Fund: $4,300
* San Bernardino County Safety Employee’s Benefit Association: $2,650
* California Teacher’s Association: $100
* California Dept. of Forestry Firefighters Association: $1,250

You should keep these figures in mind then next time Dutton says something about pension reform, which is a key provision of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger[8]‘s agenda that he outlined in yesterday’s State of the State Address[9].

-Anthony Pignataro

PHOTO COURTESY SEN. DUTTON’S WEBSITE (http://cssrc.us/web/31/[10])

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2010/01/07/what-about-bob/

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