How the Laws of California Are Really Made: Sponsored Legislation

Oct. 8, 2010 Public Sector Roundtable

Cities and counties inherit the laws made in Sacramento. Some are good; others put unrealistic demands on local government in the form of unfunded mandates and threats to local control.

The October 8, 2010 Public Sector Roundtable featured San Jose Mercury News reporter Karen de Sá, who recently published a "behind the scenes" look at the legislative process in Sacramento.

While the topic of lobbying is not a new one for locally elected officials, the discussion about "sponsored bills" revealed how lobbyists are using new techniques for forwarding legislation.

Speakers

What We Learned
Ethics, Lobbying, and How the Laws of California Are Really Made (podcast)

Participants
Joanne Benjamin, Office of Supervisor Liz Kniss
David DeCosse, Director of Campus Ethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Justin Gilio, SCU student, Hackworth Fellow
Keith Guo, SCU student, political science intern
Renee Gurza, San Jose City Attorney's Office
Kirk Hanson, Executive Director, MCAE
Lisa Herrick, San Jose City Attorney's Office
Raania Mohsen, Executive Director, Santa Clara County Cities Association
Judy Nadler, Senior Fellow in Government Ethics, MCAE
Rev. Mark Poorman, visiting scholar
Rev. Nicky Santos, visiting scholar
Miriam Schulman, Director of Communication and Administration, MCAE
Jennifer Sparacino, City Manager, City of Santa Clara
Steve Tate, Mayor, City of Morgan Hill