Nakanishi Lines Pockets; Then Runs for Tax Board
I do not want to come off in this post as though I have something against Alan Nakanishi or that I have endorsed anyone in the 2nd District Board of Equalization race, but when information is presented to me, especially with regard to per diem, I am compelled to share it with others.
Nothing bothers me more than when politicians are not looking out for the best interests of the public. Being chosen to serve your fellow citizens should be the highest calling, but unfortunately many individuals let this power and privilege go to their heads.
As sad as it may be, it appears that this has happened to former Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi and he is no longer qualified to hold elected office and serve the public interest.
Per diem is supposed to be used by politicians who live out of the area to help them pay for a place to live while they are in Sacramento, but some elected officials take advantage of that per diem and accept it even though they live within commuting distance of the capitol.
Although legal to do, it is certainly not practiced by individuals who truly care about the well being of the state such as Assemblymen Roger Niello and Dave Jones, even Darrell Steinberg does not have the audacity to accept per diem like that. But Nakanishi collected this tax payer bonus his entire time in the Assembly each day commuting back to his home in Lodi and now he wants to run for Board of Equalization and have a major voice in tax administration and fee collection in the state?
If you look at the Regular Session Assembly Journal here (page 47) from November 30, 2008 we can see exactly how much per diem Nakanishi felt he deserved to collect without merit. That being $34,838 from Dec. 1 2006 to Nov. 30, 2007 year. But as with many politicians, modesty and sacrifice go out the window when they get in office and they indulge at every opportunity.
Looking at the same Regular Session Assembly Journals from the previous four years dated November 30, we find that Nakanishi unjustifiably accepted $29,290 in 2006, $28,014 in 2005, $30,520 in 2004 and $28,279 in 2003. That makes a grand total of $150,941 that could (SHOULD) have gone to the general fund, and that does not even count the per diem that he collected from Dec. 1, 2007 to Nov. 30, 2008, which will be available at the end of November.
The man is a doctor, and while the middle class lives paycheck to paycheck, he fattens up on tax dollars from per diem to make sure he can make it through these ‘tough’ economic times.
Now I realize that it is less than $200,000 total over his several years in office and that that is minuscule compared to the waste that exists elsewhere in the capital, but is that a reason to ignore it?
I stress again that the primary characteristic we should look for in our elected officials is their willingness to serve the public interest rather than their own. Nakanishi’s abuse of the per diem benefits to line his own pockets on the public dime effectively show where his true interests lie…and unfortunately it is not where most of us wish they were….but it appears to be a trend, as seen in this previous article, that birds of a feather flock together as one of Nakanishi’s campaign staffers is being sued by San Bernadino County for his abuse of tax payer dollars.
You can thank Doug Ose for this practice. In his first congressional primary race against Barbara Alby, Ose equated not collecting per diem with absenteeism. He claimed every day that Barbara did not collect per diem; she was not at work in the Capitol. Barbara said she lived in Sacramento and it was not right to collect per diem when she lived so close to the Capitol. Ose crucified Barbara with this issue and rode it all the way to Congress. Unfortunately, your idealism has been trumped by political reality. Alan Nakanishi must collect per diem or he could be treated to the same political attacks that worked so well for Ose. It is ironic that this issue should come up in another race where Alby is a candidate.
William — please be sure to get your facts straight. Barbara Alby had the worst attendance record when she was in the Assembly and could never give a clear explanation as to why. Her republican colleagues in the Assembly openly critized her for missing votes, especially during the end of session when Democrats were pushing through hundreds of bills to raise taxes and increase spending. Records confirm that many of these votes occurred during a junket to Hawaii — I’m sure I can find the ads that were run if you need a reminder. An elected official who fails to show up and do their job by voting breaks the agreement they have with their constituents, and reasonable minds will agree that this action cannot be justified by not taking per diem. In addition, raising legitimate questions on per diem and missing votes have been used as legitimate campaign tactics since before Moses wore shorts. Doug was not the first and certiainly won’t be the last. I’m sorry that ten years later you still have some sort of grudge but it’s really time to move on. Full disclosure — I worked on Doug Ose’s campaign and later for him in Washington. While I’m sure this post will open some old wounds that frankly should have healed by now, keep in mind that I’m only responding to correct the inaccuracies cited by the original author, and not to embarrass or disrespect any who were involved with the 1998 race.
This article is really hitting below the belt trying to create something out of nothing. If this was illegal act than press charges against Alan Nakanishi but this articles and the refered article is trying to create sensationalism by using words in titles of article reserved for criminals. To the author of this and other articles what are you trying to do by making a mountain out of mole hill. You take everyone of the candidates on this or anyother election in the U.S. and really dig they all have someting that is derogatory. These candidates are human being and not a god. So please write something that is meaningful and serious.