Posts tagged Richard M. Daley
Opinion: Corruption thrives in a one-party state
February 16, 2023 // The 2021 annual report of the California Partners Project describes the organization as “partnered with” The Representation Project. The report notes that “partner is a power position” and vows “even closer collaboration with the Office of the First Partner” to “leverage all the resources we can muster….” There was a lot of harnessing and leveraging of the governor’s power to raise money through “behested payments,” a uniquely California form of legalized extortion. Elected officials are allowed to ask individuals, companies, unions or other entities to make a donation for a particular “charitable” or “governmental” purpose. “Behested payments” that total more than $5,000 in a year must be reported, but there is no ceiling on how much an official may request. Reports show that in 2021 and 2022, Gov. Newsom “behested” $1,671,680 for his wife’s California Partners Project.