When Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom isn't returning our phone calls or emails, he's claiming $400 Louis Vuitton pens and $300 Bulgari ties on file forms for California's Fair Political Practices Commission. Why? Well, according to Bay Citizen, elected officials must do so in an effort the squash anything deemed a conflict of interest during their campaigns. And these gifts say a lot about said candidates. Or not. The Gav also claimed a luxury travel agent and "nearly $2,000 worth of tickets to the symphony, sporting events and the theater." Aw, the Getty life.
But what about other officials, you ask? Bay Citizen has more: State Sen. Leland Yee claimed "fresh flowers, meals and fresh fruit (particularly citrus)" on his form. He also claimed a $2 bag of peanuts. Attorney General Kamala Harris accepted "flowers and other celebratory gifts" as well as "a $300 watch from the consul general of Japan, and a $420 basketball game ticket from celebrity lawyer Blair Berk during her campaign."
