Earlier this week CALMatters posted about the Lira family’s hellish journey through California’s Employment Development Department. Equally troubling is that contractors with EDD such as Deloittes and Salesforce under contracts that pay them millions are donors to elected officials.*
Deloittes and Salesforce might be perfectly capable contractors but they should not be permitted to donate to elected officials who are in a position to influence selection or to evaluate performance. The same goes for public safety and other unions who enter into contracts with the state worth billions. The Legislature should ban donations from corporations, unions and associations whose shareholders, employees or members receive money under agreements with the state or its subdivisions. The Lira family may not be donors to elected officials but they are the customers our government is supposed to serve well.
*See 2019-20 donations here and here. Cal-Access only reports donations through the end of last year, more than three months ago, which is why we also need immediate reporting of donations.
