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California lawmakers got ticket freebies as they cracked down on Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift debacle (www.politico.com)

submitted 2 years ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

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Ticketmaster’s troubled handling of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour prompted California lawmakers to spend months cracking down on the ticketing industry — while they enjoyed thousands of dollars worth of free tickets themselves from interest groups, a POLITICO analysis shows.

One assemblymember even appears to have accepted concert tickets to that very Swift tour, which prompted the effort to dismantle ticketing monopolies following backlash over Ticketmaster’s glitch-riddled sales rollout. She was later involved in legislative efforts to regulate the industry that ultimately stalled.

The findings are part of a wider POLITICO analysis of all 120 state lawmakers’ financial disclosures last year that found 66 state assemblymembers and senators received more than $30,000 total worth of tickets. The giveaways included entrance to Disneyland with mouse ears included, a music festival pass to see country music stars like Eric Church, and San Francisco 49ers seats. One of the biggest recipients of tickets to college sporting events also chairs the higher education committee.

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[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago

The article goes into that, if you'd bothered to read it.

A freebie worth $590 is well below the $5,500 maximum campaign donation from an individual or business. But gifts like tickets can make a much greater impact, said Daniel Schnur, a government ethics expert and former chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission.

“If I send money to a legislator’s campaign account, I get a thank you note. If I attend a reception, I get a handshake. If I take them out to lunch or dinner, I get a conversation,” Schnur said. “But if I get them tickets for a concert or a basketball game, I now have a friend who takes my phone calls.”