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Jon Fleischman

Vuitton-Gate is now Charity-Gate as Nunez’ lifestyle becomes a bigger burden for California Democrats

It would seem that the more that a microscope is applied to the dealings of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, the more it shows a pattern — that absolute power does corrupt absolutely.  One can probably figure that at some point Nunez was, well, like the rest of us.  You know, work hard and don’t take anything for granted?  But at some point, or maybe slowly over time, the big gavel of being the Assembly Speaker has gone to the man’s head. 

CHARITY-GATE
Just after weeks of articles and investigative reports into the lavish and expensive expenditures from Nunez’ campaign coffers that appear to be supporting a lifestyle otherwise unattainable for a public servant, now the Los Angeles Times has revealed a startling and disturbing pattern — Nunez appears to be putting a tremendous amount of pressure to force businesses to give money, and lots of it, to his favorite charities.  Nunez’ insistance that no laws have been broken misses the point, which is that, frankly, elected officials who are making decisions on legislation that impact businesses should not be asking those very same business to make donations to charity. 

POSTERCHILD FOR "NO ON 93"
We’ve seen in the latest independent polls that voter support for Proposition 93, has plummeted 10 points, and this is before any active campaign is waged against it.  93 is what we call "Fabian’s Christmas Gift to Himself" — a ballot measure the he wrote and qualified for the ballot using more money gauged from California businesses that, if passed in February, would extend his reign by six more years.  It’s getting harder and harder to find anyone who doesn’t get a paycheck from Nunez who thinks this ballot measure is a good idea.

WHEN IS IT TIME TO SAY, "ENOUGH"??
You have to wonder at what point the members of the Assembly Democrat Caucus are going to say "enough is enough" and clip the wings of their out-of-control leader.  His termed-out colleagues have to be frustrated that he has so botched their chance to stay in office (when he negotiated in bad faith, giving up a real shot at term-limits reform coupled with real redistricting reform) and now he is embroiled in yet another pay-to-make-him-happy scandal…  I know there are some actual honest liberals in the legislature — who are just as unhappy about the Speaker’s largesse as the rest of us.  Well, he’s giving you and your causes a bad name, just so you know.  I guess, from my perspective, that may be the only positive in this situation…

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