State Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata
Posted on 07/20/2008 8:24:35 PM PDT by SmithL
The FBI is investigating state Sen. Don Perata's role in the hiring of a Washington lobbyist to push for a road project sought by a major Perata contributor, documents show.
At the urging of the powerful Oakland Democrat, local agencies in 2000 hired former Georgia congressman Dawson Mathis to lobby the Federal Aviation Administration regarding a multimillion-dollar expressway that today links Oakland International Airport with the Harbor Bay Business Park in Alameda.
The park's developer, Ron Cowan, has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Perata and other politicians, and for years he had sought this access road.
Mathis' hiring to the $135,000 lobbying job has emerged as a significant area of inquiry in the FBI's long-running probe of Perata, the state Senate's president pro tem.
As The Chronicle has reported, for more than four years agents have investigated Perata, his business associates, his favored political consultants and lobbyists, and even his son, attempting to learn whether the lawmaker improperly obtained money in exchange for official actions.
Perata got the lobbyist's name in 2000 from then-state Senate leader John Burton, D-San Francisco. Burton told The Chronicle he became close friends with Mathis when they served together in Congress in the 1970s.
Grand jury subpoenas show that the FBI has obtained documents from the Port of Oakland and two other local agencies about Perata and Mathis or the road project, which when completed in 2004 was named the Ron Cowan Parkway.
Cowan said he and two of his executives were subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury. Another witness was former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who for years was Cowan's lawyer.
The statute of limitations in the Perata investigation is expected to expire later this year, and sources familiar with the probe said prosecutors are close to deciding...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
State Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata
PeRATa and Burton would make a heck of a two-fer.
BUMP to that!
Ain’t gonna happen...
The “rats” have been running Kalifornicate for so long - we’re not far from dropping to the level of a Zimbabwe.
No party affiliation mentioned until the 6th paragraph, and that only of a sponsor (i.e. Democrat).
Same old same old for the scum fifth column press.
Ah, the obfuscation by using an indirect on the 2nd paragraph which got past my bleary, beer-besotted eyes. Now I hate em even more.
It would be great to bring down this corrupt sack of offal.
Looks like Schmelleygate is going Global.. well, National at least.:-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.