“I STAND BEHIND EVERY DECISION”
The San Jose Mercury News
ELK GROVE – Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday defended his decision to allow prominent lobbyists to play a key role in crafting his forthcoming budget and said he stands behind every piece of the proposal.
Three days before he is set to release the fiscal plan, Davis shrugged off critics who had accused him of giving access to the confidential budget drafting process to two former lawmakers who now lobby for some of the state’s most powerful special interests.
“Give me a break,” Davis said when asked about their roles after touring a suburban Sacramento school construction site to tout his job growth plan. “I stand behind every decision in the budget. I wrote the budget. I take responsibility for the budget.”
The Democratic governor responded to criticism last week from political reform groups over his reliance on the advice from former lawmakers Phil Isenberg and Patrick Johnston.
Both men were well-respected experts on the state budget when they served in the Capitol, but the two Democrats have since been lobbying for Indian gaming tribes, insurance companies, auto manufacturers and health maintenance organizations.
In cobbling together the difficult package, Davis invited Isenberg and Johnston to take part in private meetings with his top financial advisers, providing them with priceless access to the drafting process.
Several political reform advocates called the access disturbing and urged Davis to shut the two men out of the meetings.
“We’re talking about taxpayer dollars and whether industries are going to be paying more,” said Jamie Court, executive director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. “Phil Isenberg and Patrick Johnston are going to make certain that the industries they represent don’t pay more in taxes and don’t see their corporate welfare cut.”
Last week, Isenberg defended his role and said he was careful to stay out of discussions that directly affected his clients.
On Tuesday, Davis praised Isenberg for his role.
“If he’s willing to give his free time and make suggestions, I’ll accept them if I like them,” the governor said. “He’ll be the first to tell you there’s a whole host of ideas that he gave me that I did not accept.”
The governor’s defense of his budget talks came on the same day that he unveiled details of his “Build California” plan to cut red tape and speed up the process for funneling billions of dollars in bond money to build more houses, schools and roads.
Davis called his package a “very substantial step” in getting money stalled in the pipeline into the system where it can create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The Democratic governor will discuss the package tonight when he delivers the first State of the State address of his second term and again on Friday when he unveils the budget, which has to accommodate a $35 billion shortage.
