California Republican lawmaker spent tens of thousands on Kentucky Derby fundraisers

Andrew Sheeler
·5 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

TOP ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN HOLDS KENTUCKY DERBY FUNDRAISERS TWO YEARS IN A ROW

You may need a mint julep after reading this.

The heat is on Assembly Republicans Floor Leader Heath Flora, R-Ripon, after the right-leaning California Globe published a piece Wednesday spotlighting his “frat office” environment and pricey fundraising events at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky.

Globe Editor-in-Chief Katy Grimes took Flora to task for having a pool table and possibly a dart board in his office, as well as spending tens of thousands of dollars from a ballot initiative committee to fund raise at Churchill Downs.

This year’s derby is May 4. It’s the nation’s most famous horse race, a showcase for the country’s best 3-year-old horses.

According to campaign finance documents, Flora spent more than $65,000 on derby-related travel, lodging, meals, tickets and beverages in 2023 and more than $41,000 in 2022.

“The Frat boy Pub office pool table and dart board is questionable judgment — but the ‘fundraising’ trips (for a ballot initiative) to the Kentucky Derby appear rather dubious,” Grimes wrote.

Flora did not respond to The Bee’s media inquiry on this topic. A spokesman for Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, declined to comment for this piece.

Are the conservative knives coming out for Flora, who has been known to work across the aisle with the Democratic supermajority?

In December, Richard Grenell, who was appointed ambassador to Germany by former President Donald Trump, accused Flora of “helping the woke mob” in Sacramento. MAGA Central Valley congressional candidate David Giglio wrote in January that Flora “endorses Democrats when they run for Congress.”

Indeed, Grimes, who co-wrote a pro-Trump book in 2017, appears to have her own beef with Flora. She points out in her piece that he voted yes on AB 610, the fast food minimum wage exemption bill, despite Gallagher voting no.

“Since when does a Republican floor leader — the number 2 guy — vote against the number 1 guy?” Grimes wrote.

As for the fundraiser, Flora isn’t the only state lawmaker to hold one with controversial optics. In February, Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, held her own ballot initiative fundraiser at the Super Bowl, her third such event.

However, such events are generally legal, says Janel Forsythe of the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog.

“It’s fairly common to hold fundraisers at sporting events, and it wouldn’t pose a legal question as long as the campaign paid for the seating/tickets and everything was properly reported,” she said.

SHOULD K-12 STUDENTS BE REQUIRED TO LEARN AI LITERACY?

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is everywhere these days. It’s in our health care, our entertainment, even our journalism. Gov. Gavin Newsom even touts it. It’s safe to say California is all in on AI.

Now, a bill from Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, would require California schoolchildren to be educated in AI literacy.

AB 2876 would require the Instructional Quality Commission, which advises the State Board of Education on curricula and instruction, to include AI literacy content in state math, science and history and social science curricula frameworks when those frameworks are next revised.

“AI has the potential to positively impact the way we live, but only if we know how to use it, and use it responsibly,” Berman said in a statement. “No matter their future profession, we must ensure that all students understand basic AI principles and applications, that they have the skills to recognize when AI is employed, and are aware of AI’s implications, limitations, and ethical considerations.”

The bill is sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce.

CalChamber’s Ronak Daylami said in a statement that by incorporating AI literacy into grade school curricula, it will “dispel the stigma and mystique of the technology, not only helping students become more discerning and intentional users and consumers of AI, but also better positioning future generations of workers to succeed in an AI-driven workforce and hopefully inspiring the next generation of computer scientists.”

PARIS HILTON BACKS SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPARENCY BILL

Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, has enlisted some celebrity starpower for her bill, SB 1043, to bring greater transparency to adolescents and young adults living in state-run facilities.

Actress, reality show star and hotel heiress Paris Hilton, who by her own admission is a survivor of the “troubled teen industry,” said in a statement that she is proud to partner with Grove on this legislation, which would shine a spotlight on young people in the California Department of Social Services system, and require information about the use of restraints and “seclusion rooms” to be made available to the public.

“I look forward to collaborating with all members of the California Legislature on this important bill in our shared pursuit for protection of our state’s most vulnerable youth,” Hilton said in a statement.

The bill has bipartisan support as well — Sens. Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, and Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, are joint authors.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’m truly thankful to have so many people believe in and donate to our campaign.”

- Rudy Salas, a Democratic former assemblyman who is running to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao, in a statement announcing a fundraising haul of more than $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2024.

Best of The Bee: