Geller's Giveaway

Hollywood peddles prime downtown land for a steal with the help of a developer-loving senator

A A A Comments By Bob Norman Thursday, Jan 13 2005

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This was all good, if slightly weird, fun and his basic point surely has some merit. But he's still missing the boat. First, as a public official, he shouldn't be lobbying governments that depend on his vote. It's a fundamental subversion of office. And second, while it may be true that all legislators have conflicts, they come in varying degrees. And representing clients who crowd the beach and hornswaggle tax dollars is as odious as it gets.

In the end, Rodstrom is dead right: It's for the voters to decide. They are basically shareholders in the business of government and when a city happily holds up its hands for a daylight robbery of its land, they ought to get mad not only at the officials, but at the lobbyists, especially if one is a senator.

State Sen. Steve Geller earned a bundle from developers.

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And if they don't care, they'll get precisely what they deserve, which, in this case, will surely be more of the same.

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