Del Norte News: Grants and Graft - by Siskiyous

The scandals over grant funding programs acting as the vehicle politicians use to enrich themselves comes as no surprise to local observers. The scandals we read about focus on shady real estate deals reminiscent of the White Water scandal. Our local politicians use a widespread and more sophisticated approach.

It is impossible to accurately value spending within a grant program on services like those of that of a graphic artist's work, a publisher's contribution, the time spent on creating and maintaining databases, or the effort put into studies.

Public money flowing into grant programs is redirected to private hands. Much of it finds its way back to the politicians introducing the legislation funding specific types of programs. The legislation is tailor made to make certain it reaches the right hands.

The members of commissions that dole the money out, like Resource Conservation Committee’s and the California Coastal Conservancy, are chosen carefully. The non-profit groups receiving these funds are difficult to join, and have overlapping Boards of Directors. Compare the Friends of Del Norte with the Smith River Alliance. Those directors often attend political fundraising events.

Many directors donate their own art work, often nothing more than large format photographs mounted on matte paper, to these events. The art work shows up in silent and live auctions where it sells for values that many professional artists never see.

Our own Congressman, Mike Thompson, introduced legislation altering the way donated art is valued. (109th CONGRESS: 1st Session; H. R. 2786) At least one of our supervisors boosted her last campaign at the final minute by hosting an auction event where local doctors, and school officials, provided donated art.

Sarah Samples appearances at the California Coastal Conservancy asking for money to help organizations working to convert private land to public control are common.

The Smith River Alliance once received tens of thousands of dollars from the California Coastal Conservancy to create a database of Pacific Shores property owners that could be purchased from the county for under on hundred dollars. Sarah went to Berkeley to ask the Commission to support this request. Clark Moore supports these organizations.

The Blue Ribbon Coalition (http://www.sharetrails.org/) exposed the misuse of California green sticker funds. This brought a halt to the destruction of the road system in the former Miller Rellim property. State Parks is moving rapidly to destroy roads before creating a management plan.

Investigations into the misuse of grant money flowing through The California State Parks was suspended when the current Governor realized how widespread the corruption really is. Real estate records are too permanent for sophisticated politicians. A few posters and some volunteer field trips and you have a grant worthy event that gooses the taxpayer.