Two dozen state lawmakers are flying to luxury resorts in Hawaii for conferences subsidized and attended by interests that lobby the Legislature: oil companies, public employee unions, drug and tobacco firms, and others, according to the L.A. Times.
The special interest firms include: pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly; the nonprofit Independent Voter Project; Occidental Petroleum Corp., the Western State Petroleum Assn., Eli Lilly, the Altria tobacco firm, the California Cable and Telecommunications Assn., the state prison guards union and the California Distributors Assn., which represents distributors of tobacco and other products.
Legislators scheduled to attend this year’s event include Assembly Republican leader Kristin Olsen of Modesto, Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar, former Assembly Speaker John Pérez (D-Los Angeles), former Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway of Tulare, Assemblyman Bob Wieckoski (D-Fremont) and Assemblyman Manuel V. Perez (D-Coachella). Continue reading