Lawsuit alleges Sacramento lobbying firm gave illegal gifts

A powerful Sacramento lobbying firm illegally directed campaign contributions and unreported gifts to dozens of California lawmakers, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Sacramento Superior Court.The future chefs and Army officers found common ground by cooking a dinner for themselves ladies shoes wholesale as a team.The lawsuit, filed by former Sloat Higgins Jensen & Associates employee Rhonda Smira, alleges that owner Kevin Sloat and his firm knowingly and regularly skirted lobbying and campaign finance rules.In a statement, Sloat Higgins Jensen & Associates dismissed the lawsuit as a "desperate legal maneuver," arguing that it was a measure of last resort for Smira, the subject of an embezzlement investigation. A spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office confirmed that they have received an arrest warrant request for Smira from the Sacramento Police Department. 

The firm also argued that Smira lacks the authority to sue for violations of the Political Reform Act without the approval of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the state's campaign spending watchdog.Smira was terminated in 2012, a firing the lawsuit attributes to Smira refusing to carry out duties she believed to be illegal. She is seeking unspecified compensation for lost wages, as well as court orders requiring the lobbying firm to refund its profits, halt campaign fundraisers and cease giving gifts to elected officials.It's impossible to list all of the present day uses. They're a mainstay of research Christian Louboutin Sale in science and engineering. She wants the firm to pay damages related to the total value of undisclosed gifts given. 

Lobbyists cannot, under California law, give gifts to lawmakers worth more than $10.Sloat Higgins Jensen & Associates nevertheless conferred gifts upon legislators and staff and then failed to disclose it,Executive Chef Ricardo Cardona—most notably a finalist on Chopped and a personal chef to the Yankees—fires up a menu of Euro-Latino dishes Hiking boot from small plates to crudos to surf-and-turf standards. the lawsuit alleges, even though Sloat "understood the illegality of his action because he attended regular ethics training courses where the laws regarding gifts from lobbyists or lobbying firms were thoroughly explained."Smira's lawsuit also alleges:The firm regularly gave tickets to see the Sacramento Kings, San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants to elected officials and their staff. The practice was so routine that some lawmakers and staff members began calling the firm to request tickets.