STATE OF THE STATE
By Howard Fine
Political Ties
On the surface, it seems like a typical political appointment.
Gov. Gray Davis appointed Christine Wei-li Lee to the California World Trade Commission. Lee is an international marketing and corporate communications consultant, according to a press release, having held posts at Korn/Ferry International and other firms.
The release also touted Lee’s Asian ties: “A native of Taiwan, she speaks fluent Mandarin and is actively involved in the Asian Pacific American community.”
But it left out one fact: Lee is married to none other than Garry South, aide to Gov. Gray Davis and the mastermind behind Davis’ two election victories.
The Davis administration denies that Lee’s appointment had anything to do with rewarding the South family for the just-concluded campaign.
“Yes, she’s married to Garry South, but she’s more than qualified for the work she will be doing on the commission,” said Alex Traverso, appointments spokesman for Davis. “She brings a lot to the job on her own merits. In fact, if she hadn’t been married to Garry South, her record alone would have stood out enough for the governor to appoint her. And people will see this as she goes about her duties on the commission.”
Connell’s Parting Shot
Republicans weren’t the only ones shut out from statewide elected office during the recent election. So were women. And state Controller Kathleen Connell,the only woman currently holding statewide office in Sacramento,is not happy about that.
Connell, a Democrat who leaves office next month, sounded off in a recent interview with Copley News Service, saying that the two major parties are not doing enough to recruit and nurture women to move up through the ranks.
“There’s simply a structural bias in the Democratic and Republican parties that’s so inbred in the system that I’m discouraged,” Connell said.
Engineering Battle Reignites
The engineering wars seem to never end.
For nearly 20 years, state engineers and private engineering firms have waged repeated battles in the courts and at the ballot box over billions of dollars in design work at the California Department of Transportation.
California voters may have thought they were putting the issue to bed with their approval two years ago of Proposition 35, which allowed Caltrans to contract out engineering work.
But now, state engineers have fired another volley.
On Nov. 21, Professional Engineers in California Government filed a lawsuit against Caltrans in San Francisco Superior Court, charging the agency with awarding no-bid contracts and other violations of Prop. 35 and state law.
“We want Caltrans to stop wasting taxpayer dollars and to enforce cost-effective contracting,” said Ted Toppin, a spokesman for the engineers group.
But Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California, which represents private engineering firms, says the group simply is trying to overturn what voters approved at the polls two years ago and keep engineering work in house.
Fine is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Business Journal.
