Don Perata
Don Perata (born April 30, 1945) is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate. He served from 2000 to 2008 and was President Pro Tempore from 2007 to 2008. He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Oakland in 2010.
Issues
Term limits
Perata was one of two main sponsors of California Proposition 93 (2008), a ballot initiative that was on the February 5, 2008 ballot in California. If Proposition 93 had passed, it would have altered the provisions of California Proposition 140 (1990) so that current legislative incumbents, including Perata, would have been able to stay in office longer. Since Proposition 93 was rejected by the voters, Perata had to leave office after the November 2008 elections.
Hope 2010
Perata controlled Hope 2010, a ballot measure committee. The committee raised $1.19 million in 2009. Recipients of money from the Hope 2010 committee included Oakland City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, a political ally of Perata. De La Fuente received a $25,000 consulting fee in August 2009 from Hope 2010 in order to generate support for the California Tobacco Tax for Cancer Research Act (2010). De La Fuente, like Perata, is an opponent of Oakland's Instant Run-Off Voting Measure O.[1]
Noteworthy events
In 2004, the FBI began to investigate Perata's business relationships.[2]. These investigations did not produce an arrest or an indictment.[3]
In 2006, Perata accepted money from Indian tribes while sponsoring a bill to expand Indian gaming.[4] Perata also called those who opposed giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses and a guest worker program with a path to citizenship "crackers."[5]
In May 2007, the East Bay Express, an alternative weekly in the San Francisco Bay Area, published a two-part investigation of Perata. Among other things, the articles said that Perata had manipulated liberal causes, such as antiwar sentiment, for his own personal and political gains.[6] Perata sponsored an antiwar ballot resolution in order to raise money for his PACs. It also alleged that he has used campaign donations to support an indulgent lifestyle and detailed other possible areas of corruption.[7]
See also
- California State Legislature
- California State Senate
- California Senate Committees
- California state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Bay Area, "Perata committee paid Oakland City Councilmember De La Fuente $25,000," January 12, 2010
- ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, "FBI probes lobbyist ties to Perata: Inquiry of Oakland insider said to explore whether she steered payments to senator," November 19, 2004
- ↑ stopthepoliticians.com, "Probe of Perata quiet but very much alive (Archived)," accessed May 7, 2014
- ↑ Capitol Weekly
- ↑ Signs on San Diego, "Perata labels foes of illegal immigration," August 4, 2006
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Some call anti-war plan a ploy (Archived)," accessed May 7, 2014
- ↑ patterico.com, "Lifestyles of the rich and elected," May 24, 2007
