Campaign records contradict lawsuit against top California lobbyist

By John Hrabe | Cal Watchdog

Never let the facts get in the way of a good lawsuit.

In a wrongful termination lawsuit filed on Christmas Eve, Rhonda Smira, a former employee of the powerhouse lobbying firm Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates, claims that her former employer, Kevin Sloat, routinely violated state campaign finance laws by failing to report fundraising events “to dozens of politicians — including nearly a third of the Legislature.” Smira says that she was fired in 2012, after years of protesting the practice.

But state campaign finance reports dispute some of the allegations against Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates. An analysis of campaign finance records shows that dozens of state campaigns and political action committees reported thousands of dollars in payments to Sloat for hosting fundraising events. There also isn’t much mystery about the politicians involved; 18 state officials reported payments to Sloat Higgins Jensen and Associates in state campaign finance reports for various purposes, including hosting fundraising events.

at Cal Watchdog.

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