Palin's secret CSU speaking fee sparks outcry

Palin's secret CSU speaking fee sparks outcry Nanette Asimov, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Jae C. Hong / AP Sarah Palin speaks at a Tea Party rally in Searchlight, Nev. Palin will also speak at CSU Stanislaus' 50th anniversary gala. View Larger Image MORE BAY AREA NEWS Part-time Legislature push fails to make ballot 03.30.10 Actress, former child vaudevillian June Havoc dies 03.30.10 Ford Mustang designer Donald Frey dies 03.30.10 Sarah Palin is expected to raise nearly $200,000 for an appearance on a California State University campus in June. But the school foundation hosting the $500-a-plate event won't say what they are paying her, or even how much the party will cost - and that has angered a San Francisco lawmaker who is using the opportunity to push his bill for greater transparency by public university foundations. "The CSU should immediately disclose how much money is being diverted from students to pay Sarah Palin's exorbitant speaking fees," said state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who has been trying to pass a law that would extend the California Public Records Act to those foundations. "At a time when students are struggling to afford an education at CSU, I would hope that spending potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on a guest speaker for a black-tie gala would be low on the priority list," Yee said in a statement issued Monday. Officials at California State University Stanislaus, where Palin is scheduled to appear