It’s recess time in Sacramento which means: ‘Tis the season for special interest-funded trips for California legislators. As reported by CalMatters’ Emily Hoeven, Ireland, Israel, Maine, and Canada are among the destinations during the legislative recess. According to CalMatters, State Senators Ben Allen, Susan Talamantes Eggman, Nancy Skinner, Bob Wieckowski, Assemblymember Heath Flora, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and Samuel Assefa from the Governor’s office are among those working hard during their break in Portland, Maine, and then Montreal, Quebec. Hosted by the nonprofit California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy, which also sponsored trips to Portugal last year and Iceland this spring, the trips are being referred to as a “research tour.” But fortunately, our legislators aren’t having to work alone as representatives from Google, the League of California Cities, the Rural County Representatives of California, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the National Stewardship Action Council, and the California Product Stewardship Council are also said to attend. And if for any reason Maine and Canada aren’t on your travel plans, the California Legislative Irish Caucus (yes, there is such a thing) took a trip to Ireland, which was paid for in part by the pharmaceutical industry, while other lawmakers went to Israel on a trip primarily funded by the Koret Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
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