Business groups dominate the funding of California lawmakers’ campaigns, according to a study released today by the nonpartisan research group MAPLight.org.

Businesses and trade associations paid for 40 percent of California legislators’ campaigns over the last three years. Business groups provided more money than private citizens (17%) and labor unions (16%) combined. The study examined campaign contributions to members of the state Senate and Assembly. Political parties funded 12 percent of campaigns, with most of these funds directed towards a small handful of legislators. Advocacy groups – such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the California League of Conservation Voters—gave a tiny amount, less than 1 percent of all funds.

“Businesses investing in political influence receive a high return on their investment,” said Daniel Newman, MAPLight.org executive director. “Our broken campaign funding system lets businesses profit from paying for lawmakers to stay in power.”

Sen. Sam Aanestad received the highest share of funds from businesses, 87 percent.

To see how much your representative received from business, labor unions, and more, visit http://maplight.org/investing-in-influence-610

“Even well-intentioned legislators must grovel before interest-group donors to raise campaign cash,” said Newman. “The problem is not with a few bad apples, but with a rotten barrel.”

Next week, California voters will decide on Prop. 15, sponsored by the California League of Women Voters. The measure creates a pilot program for Secretary of State candidates to run for office without raising interest-group campaign funds. MAPLight.org is a supporter of Prop. 15.

I challenge you to produce backing for your unreal assertion that government employees receive the upper 5% of salary in this country
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FF, cops, prison guards and NUMEROUS other GED educated, no prior training needed, gov employees are comped at $200K per year in CA, and MORE (Vallejo FF’s were averaging $250K before OT) and that is before OT.

$200K actually puts you ABOVE the top 5% in the nation in income-you can find those facts out with a 1 second Google search.

As for your 90% @59 public pension, that is about 3 times what a person in SS gets at age 67-so if you’re claiming you’re not getting a great deal then you’re not being honest-and the fact is public employees pay little to NOTHING into their OWN retirement fund. Most munis “pick up” the employees share as well as their own share.

BTW-public employees are comped at TWICE the rate of the private sector-in the case of GED cops, FF’s and prison guards it is 20 times the rate of the real world.

Sorry to shoot your public employee claims full of holes Chucky, but your public employee “spin” won’t work here-we’re immune

I challenge you to produce backing for your unreal assertion that government employees receive the upper 5% of salary in this country. This can only be described as a bald faced lie, and I am sure you KNOW it is. I get 90% of my final salary in retirement after working 40 years and retiring at the age of 59. More than 75% of that money comes from Calpers investments today, not tax money. During the early 2000′s government paid nothing and 100% came from Calpers, not taxes.

It is also a fallacy that all this comes from tax money because at one time the ititial source was tax money. When I cashed my salary check once per month that money became mine for working my job and producing something useful for California Citizens. Like the highways and freeways you drive on. I bought my house with my tax paid salary. I suppose you think State Government now owns that.

What else do you want? By the way Professional State Employees still lag about 10% behind the private sector. Take your hate elsewhere.

Well said …. but its more likely only $4 million, not $5 Million.

Not Taxpayers, doesn’t THAT make it better ? And tell me …. do you feel like you’ve been “suckered” ?

Public employees who only have a GED or HS diploma are not “entitled” to be “compensated” at a rate that allows them to be paid in the top 5% in the nation like they do now.

And they are sure not “entitled” to $5 million pensions at age 50 that have been 95% paid for by the public.

Public employment is not a trust fund paid for by taxpayers.

But that is over! Well runs states like TX are not going to sit around while they get stuck bailing out irresponsible states like CA.

As for Skipy-the Chamber of Commerce works in a thing called the free and open market (which a public e ployee has no concept of), which is a little different from a muni or state gov that operates in a monopoly with civil service protections.

The fact is public employees should not be alllowed to unionize b/c the civil service job protections they have already are, standing alone by themselves, light years ahead of anything in the private sector-there is no need for public unions except to engage in fraud, scams and rip off the public.

But don’t let your public employee spin stop with the facts