California Corruption, Cronyism     

   Democrats have controlled both houses in California since 1970, except for two years. 

   Last year the state party resolved to "condemn corporations and lobbyists that finance political campaigns, as they perpetuate a culture of corruption and cronyism." (Hold that thought.) 

   More than 25 percent of the party's campaign contributions in 2016 came from utility, telecommunications and healthcare companies. Also contributing big were tribal gambling groups, oil companies and insurance companies.

   In March, the LA Times reported that the senate pro tempore accepted tickets to events and expensive dinners from Planned Parenthood. The assembly speaker got free tickets to the Grammy Awards, Dodgers baseball and USC Trojans games. 

   A senator enjoyed a free trip to Germany from a lobbyist. Another senator pleaded guilty to taking $150,000 in bribes from a healthcare fraud scheme and from an undercover FBI agent posing as a filmmaker. 

   Earlier last year, a senator was sentenced to five years in federal prison for bribery and racketeering charges, including an offer to smuggle weapons from the Philippines. His arrest was part of an investigation into an organized crime group, run by the senator's associate. 

   Republicans can be bought too. The LA Times noted that the assembly minority leader allowed a union to pay his greens fees at an exclusive course in Pebble Beach. 

   The newspaper also reported that a former minority leader took a $12,000-plus trip to England and Ireland, thanks to a foundation financed by Chevron, Tesoro and Shell.

   How about condemning politicians on the take, not just corporations and lobbyists?

      Jimmy