Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of the modern day Republican Party once said "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a close resemblance to the first."
No where is Reagan's point better exemplified than with Riverside County's own John Benoit.
State Senator John Benoit becomes Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit this morning. It's only costing us $11 billion.
In exchange for his vote for an $11 billion water bond, Republican Governor Arnold Schwazenegger appointed John Benoit to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of late County Supervisor Roy Wilson.
We first reported that Benoit's appointment was in the bag based on information leaked from the Govenror's Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy and his Appointments Secretary, John Cruz. But then the appointment was delayed so the Governor could bank on Benoit's vote for his water bond.
The Governor's office even instituted a whisper campaign that the appointment may be going to former Republican Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia to keep Benoit from backing out of the deal.
As we reported on October 26, 2009 part of the appointment deal was that "Benoit will be asked to vote for a water bill that is not good for Riverside County. It's also possible that he'll be asked to break with his the out-of-touch Republican Party and back a Democratic bill."
Now we know that was clearly the case.
On November 4, 2009 John Benoit played ball with Governor Schwarzenegger and voted for SBX7 2 that will place a bond for $11.14 billion on the November 2010 ballot. Immediately after the vote, the Governor repaid Benoit for the vote and appointed him to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
The water bond is filled with wasteful government spending, or as its commonly called, pork, and does relatively nothing to ensure a reliable supply of safe and clean water for Riverside County.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle the bond contained:
-- $100 million for the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program for watershed restoration, bike trails and public access and recreation projects. -- $75 million for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, for public access, education and interpretive projects, physical projects and "improving community sustainability." -- $250 million for dam removal on the Klamath River, a project to help restore salmon runs; and another $20 million for Siskiyou County to soften the impact on the economy from the loss of dams. -- $20 million for the Baldwin Hills Conservancy to be used to buy land to expand the small conservancy in the Los Angeles hills, which is near the home of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista. -- $20 million for the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach (Orange County) for interpretive projects for visitors."
So apparent and obvious was Benoit's vote trading that Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton used it as an example of how political payoffs work.
"Then there's another type of pork called a payoff. Politicians usually don't even have to talk about it. There's just an unspoken understanding. For example: Sen. John Benoit (R-Palm Desert) wanted to be appointed by the governor to a vacant seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. And he was, after providing key votes for the water package."
To then save face and repair his wobbly conservative credentials, Benoit decided to delay his swearing in until today. This was allegedly done to align a runoff special election for Benoit's vacated senate seat with the June 2010 primary election, thus saving Riverside County about $250,000.
But even this so-called cost saving measure has turned out to be a part of Benoit's dirty deal for Wilson's seat.
John Benoit delayed his swearing in until today to give the advantage in the special election to Republican Assemblyman Bill Emmerson. By moving the date, any member of the Assembly contemplating a re-election run would have to decide whether to run for the open Senate seat or for the Assembly again. Running for both at the same time would be problematic.
It appears dear readers, that part of Benoit's deal with Republican Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth was the help Emmerson get into the Senate. Emmerson would provide Hollingsworth with a moderate Republican that would be able to vote for budgets because he's open to tax increases and not opposed to public financing of a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.
Bill Emmerson is the termed out Assemblyman from Redlands who last month left his wife and rented a house in Hemet so he can run for Benoit's seat. The delay in the special election was meant to discourage Republican Assemblymen Brian Nestande and Jeff Miller from running for Benoit's seat.
Nestande, Benoit's protege who took his old seat in the State Assembly, quickly got the message and immediately signaled that he was happy in the Assembly.
Jeff Miller on the other hand didn't fall in line and even wrote a scathing editorial which appeared in Sunday's Press-Enterprise attacking the pork filled $11 water bond that John Benoit, Bill Emmerson, and Dennis Hollingsworth all supported to advance their own self-centered political agendas.
So there you have it dear readers. Now you know the how John Benoit got a seat on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. It wasn't pretty and it brings a new level of sleazy politics to Riverside County. But that's what you get when you have a politician like Benoit who's wrapped up with the likes of indicted developer Steve Holgate on the Board of Supervisors.
There is a bright side to all of this. If anyone is worried about John Benoit's seven years in Sacramento making him too partisan and ineffective, there's no cause for concern. Benoit can be quite effective and non-partisan- as long as there's something in it for him.
The lines between the world's oldest profession and its second oldest profession have never been more blurred.
Comments