Commentary: Why are lawmakers luring tech lobbyists to wine country before social media, crypto votes?
LA TimesCalifornia lawmakers will soon end their summer recess and return to Sacramento for the final, most consequential month of the legislative year. For a $35,000 donation to a foundation affiliated with the Legislature’s “tech caucus” — a bipartisan group helmed by Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low from Silicon Valley — companies can pick a topic they want to brief lawmakers on and designate an executive or lobbyist to moderate the discussion. But when I investigated lawmakers’ nonprofits, I found that Low had stopped reporting which companies were giving to the tech caucus foundation. After I reported on the tech caucus foundation, California’s political ethics regulator opened an investigation into Low’s fundraising practices. I’d love to know if the lawmakers elected to serve the public will be discussing these issues with tech lobbyists over wine tastings and spa treatments next month.
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