FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, 05 December 2014
CONTACT:
Brett Abrams : 516-841-1105 : brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com
Group Demands CA State Sen. Joel Anderson Disclose Details of Secret Meeting with ALEC Lobbyist at High-End DC Bistro
CALIFORNIA — The California-based Courage Campaign is demanding that California State Senator Joel Anderson disclose details on his secret lunch meeting with Geico lobbyist Cinda Smith at Bistro Bis, a four-star restaurant on Capitol Hill. Geico is a member of ALEC — the American Legislative Exchange Council — a notorious, right-wing corporate “dating service” connecting corporate-friendly legislators and lobbyists.
VIEW PHOTOS OF THE LUNCH’S AGENDA HERE: http://bit.ly/1A0PiJJ
and http://bit.ly/1s2kt38
Sen. Anderson has a history of ethics and campaign finance violations for which he admitted guilt and had to pay a $20,000 fine and give back nearly $150,000.(1)
Sen. Anderson, along with other state legislators and lobbyists, are currently in Washington, D.C. participating in a conference this week held by ALEC, a shadowy organization that gets around state ethics laws to bring together corporations and legislators behind closed doors. ALEC sponsors lavish dinners and getaways to five star resorts for their corporate and politician members. At these secret meetings, corporate lobbyists write and vote on model legislation, and politicians then bring these bills back to their statehouses.
“It’s sad that in the first week of the 2015 legislative session, Senator Anderson is already off partying with lobbyists at fine restaurants in Washington, D.C. while his constituents back in California are struggling to make ends meet,” explained Eddie Kurtz, Executive Director of Courage Campaign. “Senator Anderson should explain what was talked about during that lunch and what promises were made to those lobbyists.”
For more information, or for interviews with Courage Campaign, please contact Brett Abrams at 516-841-1105 or by email at brett@fitzgibbonmedia.com.
(1) http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/11/anderson-fined-donation-violations/
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