When the governor was on campus last week interviewing with CNN,
he was asked to comment on the perception that his appointments to
state committees and boards were based on campaign donations. Davis
said that he operates “fully within the law.”
This didn’t really help elucidate the issue: making
donations is perfectly legal, as is appointing donors as overseers
of public institutions. Under the law, Davis can appoint almost
anyone to state boards. And he has.
The UC Board of Regents, for example, is stacked with donors
that Davis appointed. Sherry L. Lansing, George Marcus, John J.
Moores, Norman Pattiz, Haim Saban and Richard C. Blum have all
contributed to Davis and the California Democratic Party.
What do Saban, creator of the Power Rangers, Lansing, CEO of
Paramount Pictures, or Pattiz, a radio station giant, have to offer
the UC in terms of a background in education? Nothing. Saban and
Pattiz don’t even have degrees. Only one of Davis’
appointees, Odessa Johnson, actually has an extensive background in
education.
Ward Connerly, with nothing to lose because appointed by a
previous governor, said it bluntly: “I was appointed because
I was a donor.”
Operating “fully within the law” certainly makes
Davis a non-criminal governor, but it doesn’t make him a
responsible one. A responsible governor would not let money
influence his appointment decisions ““ he would prioritize the
state’s health and progress, and let that speak for itself at
reelection time. A responsible governor would not put the UC in the
hands of a cartoon maker.