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CORRUPTION UPDATES 89 July , 2007: Draft Posting The CORRUPTION UPDATES posts corruption news stories from California, the Nation and the World, and gives you the straight story. |
CORRUPTION UPDATES 89
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Tancredo rides high on illegal immigration
The GOP candidate's solution: Seal the border and send 'em back. In Iowa, he finds many voters onboard.
By Mark Z. Barabak
Times Staff Writer
July 5, 2007
From the Los Angeles Times
AMES, IOWA — Tom Tancredo is used to anger and hostility. But success is something else. So when the Senate buckled under a wave of popular protest and rejected an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, Tancredo wasn't sure how people would respond.
His run for the GOP presidential nomination is based entirely on a platform that can be summarized in a single sentence: Seal the border and send 'em back.
A three-day Iowa swing, after the Senate bill's collapse last week, was a triumphal lap of sorts. But it was also a test: Would victory stoke the forces that helped kill the legislation? Or, Tancredo wondered, would followers say, "Geez, we've won the day. Let's go home now."
He needn't have worried. The people who burned up talk radio and filled the Internet with their fury, who blitzed the White House with their faxes and e-mails, who crashed the Senate switchboard with their indignant phone calls are still spitting mad.
"People want something done," said Al Manning, 50, the owner of a sandwich shop in Waterloo who drove more than 250 miles to hear the congressman speak twice over the weekend. "We need to stop the inflow of illegals, and we need to deal with the ones that are already in the country."
Those sentiments were echoed in numerous interviews at Tancredo campaign stops and a Des Moines presidential forum that drew hundreds of conservative activists. (Of the six candidates who spoke, Tancredo received the best reception, coming and going to standing ovations.)
A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey last month found that about 4 in 10 Republican primary voters nationwide said immigration was the most important issue facing the country. (That compared with a quarter of Democratic primary voters.)
Tancredo's immigration prescription is simple.
First, secure the borders, doing whatever it takes. Build a fence — or two or three — along the borders with Canada and Mexico. Station armed guards to block illegal entry. Then, go after businesses that hire illegal workers, hitting employers with massive fines and, if need be, criminal charges.
Also, bring criminal cases — aiding and abetting — against mayors and city council members who establish "sanctuary cities" that prevent city employees from cooperating with federal immigration agents. (Yes, that would have included Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani, back when he was mayor of New York.)
Once the jobs dry up, the estimated 12 million people in the country illegally — or 20 million, by Tancredo's count — will go home. No need for the jackboot immigration raids that are conjured up by his many critics.
"Attrition through enforcement," Tancredo called it, sipping green iced tea on a shady patio before opening his campaign office in Ames, home of Iowa State University. "If people cannot get the thing for which they came — a job — they go home."
Some look at the immigration issue and see a complicated and confounding tangle of interests and emotions. Not Tancredo.
"I have a solution," he told a Friday night crowd of about 100 at the Quality Inn in downtown Des Moines. "It's a radical one. Scary. Enormously controversial." Then he paused and spaced his words for effect. "It's called: Enforce … the … law."
Iowa, which hosts the first contest of the 2008 presidential campaign, seems an unlikely source of agitation over illegal immigration. Latinos make up about 4% of the population. But that represents a significant increase: Since 1990, Iowa's Latino population has more than tripled.
Many Latino immigrants — legal and illegal — work in the meatpacking plants, transforming parts of rural Iowa into communities that could pass for neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Orange County or Phoenix.
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Biggest Urban Growth Is in South and West
By SAM ROBERTS
June 28, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/us/28census.html?pagewanted=print
According to figures from the Census Bureau, the biggest population growth nationwide occurred in urban hubs in the South and the West — now home to 7 of the 10 most populous cities — and especially in the metropolitan suburbs of those regions.
Phoenix, with a population of 1.5 million, officially edged out Philadelphia to become the nation’s fifth most-populous city, after New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston.
Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester and other cities in the Rust Belt and upstate New York recorded population losses of more than 5 percent since 2000.
Among cities of 100,000 or more, North Las Vegas, a suburb with a population of 197,567, recorded the fastest growth rate. It ballooned by 11.9 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Three cities in metropolitan Dallas — McKinney (which nearly doubled in population since 2000), Grand Prairie and Denton — also ranked in the top 10 fastest-growing cities of 100,000 or more. Two cities in metropolitan Phoenix and two cities in Florida were also in the top 10, along with one city in North Carolina and one in California.
While Phoenix grew more than any other city, adding 43,000 residents since 2005, five Texas cities (San Antonio, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and Dallas) were also among the top numerical gainers.
William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, said he had detected a surge of small city growth, especially in the West. Of the 25 cities in the South and the West with populations over 500,000, he said, all but three showed gains this decade.
“Small Western cities, with populations below 250,000, grew by 11 percent in the first six years in this decade, substantially more than larger cities in the region,” Mr. Frey said.
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U.N. Predicts Urban Population Explosion
June 28, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/world/28population.html?pagewanted=print
By next year, more than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, will for the first time live in towns and cities, and the number is expected to swell to almost five billion by 2030, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released yesterday.
The change is expected to be particularly swift in Africa and Asia, where between 2000 and 2030 “the accumulated urban growth of these two regions during the whole span of history will be duplicated in a single generation,” says the report, “State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth.”
This surge in urban populations, fueled more by natural increase, or births, than the migration of people from the countryside, is unstoppable, George Martine, who wrote the report, said in an interview.
Rather than just letting slums spring up, governments need to anticipate the expanding ranks of the urban poor and provide them with secure housing, water, sanitation and power, among other services, the report says.
A billion people, about a sixth of the world’s population, already live in slums, 90 percent of them in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 7 in 10 urban dwellers live in a slum, an area lacking services such as water, sanitation or legal rights to housing. The region’s slum population has almost doubled in just 15 years, reaching 200 million in 2005. Its urban population is already as large as North America’s.
In fact, it predicts that the bulk of the urban population growth will be in smaller cities and towns, not the 20 megacities that dominate the public imagination.
Such supersize cities today contain 9 percent of all urban inhabitants, while cities and towns of fewer than 500,000 account for more than half.
The first great wave of urbanization unfurled over two centuries, from 1750 to 1950, in Europe and North America, with urban populations rising from 15 million to 423 million. The second wave is happening now in the developing world. There, the number of people living in urban areas will have grown from 309 million in 1950 to an expected 3.9 billion in 2030.
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Mayor’s girlfriend is placed on leave
Telemundo took the action while it investigates whether anchor Mirthala Salinas breached journalistic ethics by having a relationship with Antonio Villaraigosa.
By Duke Helfand and Steve Hymon
Times Staff Writers
3:16 PM PDT, July 5, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-telemundo6jun06,0,4537045.story?coll=la-home-center
From the Los Angeles Times
Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo placed newscaster Mirthala Salinas on leave today while it conducts an internal investigation into whether she breached journalistic ethics by having a relationship with someone she covered: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Salinas, 35, declined to comment through a spokesperson. A spokesman for Villaraigosa said the mayor would have no comment at this time.
Telemundo executives have come under intense pressure to discipline Salinas after she and Villaraigosa acknowledged this week they had been involved in a relationship dating back more than a year. The mayor separated from Corina Villaraigosa, his wife of 20 years, early last month.
During at least part of their time together, Salinas was assigned to the "political beat," in which she covered the mayor on trips to New York and Sacramento. On the night he announced the separation from his wife, Salinas was the Channel 52 anchor who delivered the news.
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Nonprofit subsidizes Schwarzenegger travel frills
The group that funds Schwarzenegger's jets and luxury suites writes off the cost. Its donors can get tax breaks.
By Paul Pringle
Times Staff Writer
July 5, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold5jul05,0,6973421,full.story?coll=la-home-local
From the Los Angeles Times
Arnold Schwarzenegger, a millionaire many times over, bills much of his overseas travel to an obscure nonprofit group that can qualify its secret donors for full tax deductions, just as if they were giving to skid row shelters or the United Way.
Whether journeying to China, Japan or last week's destinations — Austria, England and France — Schwarzenegger typically flies on top-of-the-line private jets like the plush Gulfstream models and has booked hotel suites that can run thousands of dollars a night.
"Wow, that's a problem," said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy. "Why should our tax dollars subsidize his lavish lifestyle?"
Making matters worse, Borochoff and others say, is that the nonprofit that finances Schwarzenegger's globe-trotting, the California State Protocol Foundation, could be a vehicle for interests that hope to curry favor with the governor.
By giving to the foundation, donors avoid having their identities made public, because charities are not governed by the disclosure rules that apply to campaign contributions. And they can donate unlimited amounts to the nonprofit, which is not subject to contribution ceilings the way campaign accounts are.
Representatives for Schwarzenegger and the foundation say there is nothing inappropriate about his arrangement with the group, which is closely associated with the California Chamber of Commerce.
The foundation declined to release details of its expenditures, despite expectations in the nonprofit world that charities be as transparent as possible.
"Good nonprofits are open books," said Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator, an online rating service. "Good nonprofits relish the opportunity to be accountable."
Schwarzenegger has tapped at least one other charity for some of his travel. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, celebrated for its Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and far-flung Nazi-hunting efforts, paid more than $51,000 to help send the governor to Israel in 2004, a year when the charity ran a deficit, records show.
"That jet for those international jaunts is extremely expensive," said one person with knowledge of the governor's itineraries, who requested anonymity so as not to alienate him. "China was probably well north of $100,000."
Allan Zaremberg, the Chamber of Commerce president and a foundation board member, said the protocol group pays whatever bills the governor's office submits. "How they allocate that money is up to them," he said.
Schwarzenegger turns to other nonprofits to finance a range of his political activities, and to lease a Hyatt Regency hotel suite while he is in Sacramento. The suite costs about $65,000 a year.
The number of charities tied to elected officials has grown in recent years, even as they have figured in a spate of corruption scandals, including those centered on jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Nonprofit monitors say it is almost impossible to justify routine spending of charitable dollars on aircraft that can cost $6,000 to $10,000 an hour to lease.
"The boards of most charities would not accept such exorbitant travel expenses for their board members or executives," said Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
The protocol organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, occupying the highest rung of tax-exempt groups as a public charity. The Governor's Residence Foundation, the nonprofit that pays for Schwarzenegger's home away from home at the Hyatt, is also a 501(c)(3).
The category includes basic-needs charities like soup kitchens and the Red Cross as well as nonprofit hospitals, schools and museums. All must provide a public benefit, are barred from engaging in elective politics and cannot take part in legislative or lobbying activity to a substantial degree.
Most of Schwarzenegger's foreign sojourns have been trade missions, though his critics say the trips really are little more than junkets designed to boost his international profile.
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Term-limit supporters seek probe of Perata
By Aurelio Rojas - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDTFriday, June 29, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/capolitics/v-print/story/248000.html
Opponents of a proposal to relax California's legislative term limits law on Thursday filed a formal complaint with the state's political watchdog agency against Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, alleging he has repeatedly used campaign funds for personal use.
The complaint cites a May 23 article by the East Bay Express, a weekly newspaper, that alleges Perata has spent more than $1 million of campaign donations "on parties and high-end lifestyle expenses" over the past 10 years.
The California Term Limits Defense Fund is an arm of U.S. Term Limits, a Virginia-based organization that has been a leading force in the movement that has been embraced by 15 states.
Under a proposed ballot measure, Perata -- who is scheduled to be termed out of office next year -- could serve an extra four years. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, could serve another six years.
Bob Adney, executive director of the term-limits group, accused Perata in a statement of "thumbing his nose at state election law" and "using his campaign accounts as his own personal slush fund."
"When special interests give to Don Perata, they know he'll be exceptionally responsive to them because he'll be spending it on himself and supplementing his personal income tax-free," Adney said.
Among the items cited in the complaint are Perata's expenditure of more than $30,000 at a Target department store and $11,000 at Macy's and Nordstrom department stores.
Also cited are $7,500 in payments to a women's clothing store, $6,000 to a wine store and $18,000 in chartered private air travel.
The California Term Limits Defense Fund is also asking the FPPC to investigate $75,000 in unexplained credit card expenses.
A formal complaint, like the one lodged against Perata, is signed under penalty of perjury. The FPPC is required to issue a written response within 14 days as to whether an investigation is warranted or additional time is needed to make a decision.
Supporters of relaxing term limits in California, including the California Teachers Association and the California Chamber of Commerce, are gathering signatures to place an initiative on the February ballot.
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CHENEY ENERGY TASK FORCE DOCUMENTS FEATURE MAP OF IRAQI OILFIELDS
Commerce & State Department Reports to Task Force Detail Oilfield & Gas Projects, Contracts & Exploration
Saudi Arabian & UAE Oil Facilities Profiled As Well
Judicial Watch
http://www.judicialwatch.org/iraqi-oilfield-pr.shtml
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and abuse, said today that documents turned over by the Commerce Department, under court order as a result of Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force, contain a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts.” The documents, which are dated March 2001, are available on the Internet at: www.JudicialWatch.org.
“These documents show the importance of the Energy Task Force and why its operations should be open to the public,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
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Iran Expands Role in Media, via Satellite and in English
By NAZILA FATHI
July 3, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/world/middleeast/03iran.html?pagewanted=print
TEHRAN, July 2 — Iran on Monday put into operation a 24-hour English-language satellite television channel to extend its global reach during a period of growing pressure from the United States.
The satellite channel, called Press TV, is sponsored by Iran’s state-run television operation, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
“Press TV was born out of the need to break the global media stranglehold of Western outlets,” the channel’s Web site says.
The channel aims to compete with other 24-hour English-language satellite channels like BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera International, which is based in Qatar.
Press TV officials said last month that the station would present news every half hour and focus on developments in the Middle East and the United States.
“Press TV plans to present a new perspective to its viewers around the world,” said Muhammad Sarafraz, the deputy director for international affairs, the Mehr News Agency reported.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the staff during an opening ceremony on Monday that the channel “should stay beside the oppressed people of the world,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.
“Broadcasting the truth immediately, providing precise analysis and exposing the plots of propaganda networks of the enemy is among your duties,” he was quoted as saying.
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UC Davis broadens ban on freebies
By Dorsey Griffith - Bee Medical Writer
Published 7:22 pm PDTMonday, July 2, 2007
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/253472.html
UC Davis' ban against drug industry gifts, lunches and samples has expanded to include a prohibition of freebies from any company that markets its wares to the large health system.
In making the policy change, Davis joins a small but elite and growing group of universities and health systems concerned about the influence the medical industry has on how doctors counsel and treat their patients.
Yale, Stanford, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania and Kaiser Permanente Northern California have embraced similar policies.
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NYC Man Held for Reciting 1st Amendment
Monday, July 2, 2007
(07-02) 18:56 PDT New York (AP) –
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/07/02/national/a185615D84.DTL
Reverend Billy says he wants the New York Police Department to get right with the Constitution.
The performance artist — a cross between a street-corner preacher and an Elvis impersonator (but blond) — was arrested on harassment charges last week while reciting the First Amendment through a megaphone in Manhattan's Union Square. On Monday, he donned his trademark white suit and returned to the scene of his alleged sin to demand that police repent.
"It feels so good to be back on the very spot where I was denied my First Amendment rights by reciting the First Amendment," he told reporters over the din of an NYPD helicopter hovering overhead.
Eyes closed and hands raised, the pretend pastor whooped, "Bill of Rights-elujah!"
Talen, 57, has spent years using his mock persona as a fire-and-brimstone evangelist to rail against consumer culture — what he portrays as the Disneyfication of Manhattan. He was arrested this year on misdemeanor trespassing charges for protesting at a Starbucks; that case is pending.
His latest run-in with the law began after he turned up to support people gathering in Union Square last Friday for the monthly Critical Mass bike ride asserting cyclists' rights.
The NYPD has aggressively policed the rides, arguing that they can interfere with traffic and threaten public safety. Advocates for Critical Mass have accused police of infringing on the riders' constitutional rights to free speech and free assembly.
The video shows Talen preaching the "44 beautiful words of the First Amendment" to a visibly annoyed congregation of police commanders huddled a few feet away. At one point, an officer approaches and warns him that his sermon is breaking the law.
"What's the law?" Talen asks.
"Harassment," the officer answers.
When Talen persists, another officer comes up behind him and slaps on handcuffs. When being put in a police van, the satirist shouts, "We have a right to peaceful assembly!"
Talen was held overnight before being released without bail. A criminal complaint alleges he harassed police officers by approaching them and "repeatedly shouting at such officers through a non-electric bullhorn."
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