In a scandal that shows the ugly side of politics, Kevin Sloat, a lobbyist and founder of the lobbying firm Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates, has agreed to pay a fine of $133,500 after admitting that he violated California Lobbying regulations, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sloat admitted that he hosted political fundraisers at his home, where he provided non-monetary, expensive contribution items to lawmakers, despite laws regulating the price of an item to remain under $10, according to The Sacramento Bee.
These items included expensive gifts such as cigars, wine, liquor and tickets to sporting events.
Sloat was able to get around these regulations by claiming that these gifts were included in the $500 cost limit for fundraising parties.
What might be the most shocking thing about this scandal is that it was not just lower level or lesser-known politicians who received such gifts.
More than 40 lawmakers received these illicit contributions, including Gov. Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and several California legislators, according to The Sacramento Bee and the L.A. Times.
These individuals were given an official letter of warning from the Fair Political Practices Commission for participating in these events.
This scandal has instigated lawmakers in California to pass new legislation regulating the activities of lobbyists.
California Assemblymember Cristina Garcia is proposing a new measure that would prohibit lobbyists from hosting fundraisers at their homes.
“As we’ve seen, these in-home lobbyist events fly under the legal radar and I think that they should be banned,” Garcia said in a press release, according to the L.A. Times.
It might seem rigid to forbid lobbyists from hosting these fundraisers in their homes, but if lobbyists cannot host fundraisers honestly, then certain measures must be enforced to ensure the integrity of the political system.
There are existing laws in place to regulate the acts of lobbyists, such as the Lobbying Disclosure act of 1995, but the regulations are not perfect and contain loopholes.
One loophole can be found in the laws that determine a person’s stance as a lobbyist. These laws state that a person can be considered a lobbyist only if he or she meets all three tests that define a lobbyist.
Anyone, however, could pass only two of the threes tests but still not be considered a lobbyist legally and may get around the laws governing lobbyists, according to the New York Times.
Reform is needed to close these loopholes so that the system can be protected from people who would bend the law for personal gain. Harsher punishments should be in place for these powerful lobbyists who break the law.
Sloat’s firm had more than 30 clients ranging from the San Francisco 49er’s and Verizon Wireless, according to the firm’s official website.
Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates earned $4.7 million last year, according to records from the Secretary of State. The fine is almost trivial for a man like Sloat.
These fines should be increased to deter lobbyists from breaking the law and seriously punish them if they do.
These professional lawmakers should be more than familiar with the California lobbying policy and should know better than to partake in such acts.
The fact that they just get a letter of warning from the Fair Political Practices Commission is almost farcical.
A policy should be in place that punishes the lawmakers involved in illicit lobbying acts as well, such as a heavy fine or a three-strike system that would remove them from office if such behavior occurred again.
