Lawmaker seeking amount paid for Sarah Palin speech

Lawmaker seeking amount paid for Sarah Palin speech

Lawmaker seeking amount paid for Sarah Palin speech

March 30, 2010, 03:45 AM By Robin Hindrey The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO — A state lawmaker on Monday asked a California State University foundation to provide the details of a compensation package promised to former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the scheduled guest of honor at a university gala in June. Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Mateo/San Francisco, requested that the California State University Stanislaus Foundation disclose the amount and nature of any compensation being awarded to Palin, the former Alaska governor who commands speaking fees as high as $100,000. Last week, the nonprofit foundation announced that Palin would be the featured speaker at CSU Stanislaus’ 50th anniversary celebration on June 25. Tickets to the black-tie fundraiser, which the foundation is hosting, cost $500. Matt Swanson, president of the foundation’s board of directors, said the foundation’s contract with Palin prevented him from revealing any compensation details. “I’m aware of it,” he said of Yee’s request. “But there’s not going to be any information we can send him. We’re bound by the contract we’re in.” A spokesman for Palin did not immediately respond to phone calls or e-mails from the Associated Press on Monday. Yee said contracts between private entities and state or local agencies are part of the public record, and no contract stipulation can override that. A 2001 state appeals court ruling could give the foundation grounds for disputing its obligations under the California Public Records Act. The court ruled that auxiliary associations acting on behalf of public bodies are not subject to public records requests. To address that loophole, Yee is sponsoring a state bill that would require campus foundations and auxiliary organizations to adhere to