Maviglio upset about our optometry articles

Our recent articles on an optometrists’ bill upset powerful Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio, currently the spokesman for Assembly Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles.

Katy Grimes described how Maviglio is the News/Press contact for Bridging the Provider Gap, which favors SB 492. It’s a bill broadening what optometrists can do, such as being allowed to prescribe more medications than they currently are allowed, and perform surgeries, because they’re not M.D.s. Maviglio is doing that while getting paid $9,500 a month from the taxpayers for working with Perez.

As Grimes reported, “In March when he announced the job with Perez, Maviglio said he didn’t have any clients involved in Assembly matters.” Oops.

John Hrabe also reported on SB 492 and the large number of campaign contributions behind it.

Tweets

Maviglio has been tweeting.

First tweet:

 

Second tweet:

 

It’s amusing that he put scare quotes around “journalism.” In fact, we’re doing what journalists are supposed to do: write the news. Katy told me that her sources say our articles were major factors in SB 492 getting pulled today. That’s journalism — no scare quotes.

He might be too used to the usual liberal journalists who just rewrite government press releases. When newspapers began slashing their Sacramento bureaus around 2006, many of the fired journos without a missing a beat just became flacks for the Democratic politicians they had been writing about. That showed the symbiosis between what are supposed to be antagonists.

I’m also not sure who “ConsumerWD” is. We don’t have anything to do with them, so the reference is irrelevant.

Private vs. government

As to our supposed “hypocrisy” for not disclosing our donors. Well, we’re a private organization. We don’t get tax money. So we shouldn’t have to disclose our donors, any more than I should have to disclose who gave me two Macanudos on my birthday. But actually, CalWatchDog.com’s parent think tank, the Pacific Research Institute, is required to disclose public papers on its donors. So the information is out there.

By contrast, Maviglio pulls down $9,500 a month of my tax dollars. And his other jobs advise groups on how to get my tax money, or how to regulate my life. Paying taxes is not voluntary. If you don’t pay, people with guns actually will come around and put you in a cage. Just ask Wesley Snipes.

Full disclosure is required, please.