Teamsters' money financed California pot initiative

BY KEVIN GALVIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON Last year's drive in California to legalize marijuana for
medical use received a $195,000 boost from an unlikely source: the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The money came from a contributionswap scheme that illegally bolstered
union President Ron Carey's reelection campaign, according to government
documents and interviews with people familiar with the case.

Carey's December 1996 victory over James P. Hoffa was annulled, and a
federal grandjury probe is continuing after three former Carey campaign
advisers confessed to the conspiracy Sept. 18.

According to their testimony and the written decision overturning Carey's
election, consultants Michael Ansara and Martin Davis got wealthy donors to
give to Carey by arranging for the union to donate to causes they supported.

Ansara enlisted West Coast fundraiser Charles Blitz, court records show,
and told him the Teamsters would match or double amounts he raised for
Carey with contributions to causes of his choice.

Jere Nash, Carey's former campaign manager, admitted in court that he
participated in the scheme and alleged that Teamsters politicalaffairs
director William Hamilton facilitated the union payments.

But until now, it wasn't clear what was in the deal for Blitz.

``In return, he was going to get a piece of the action,'' said one source,
who spoke on condition of anonymity. ``And that was going to be used for
the movement to legalize medicinal marijuana in California.''

Blitz used Citizen Action, a liberal consumer group for which he raised
money, as a conduit in the fundraising scheme, court records show.

On Oct. 14, 1996, he directed Citizen Action official Rochelle Davis to ask
the Teamsters for $225,000. On Oct. 23, he had another request for $250,000
sent.

The Teamsters paid $475,000 to Citizen Action's ``Campaign for a
Responsible Congress'' on Oct. 24, with Carey's approval.

Blitz arranged for at least $90,000 of that payment to be funneled to a
Carey committee called Teamsters for a Corruption Free Union. In total, he
directed about $185,000 to the committee, court records show.

Rochelle Davis told investigators that Blitz wanted to support the
medicinalmarijuana campaign, according to sources familiar with the probe.
Citizen Action cut a $195,000 check to the Lobby for Individual Freedom and
Equality (LIFE) in late October.

LIFE Lobby director Laurie McBride confirmed that the group, which
advocates on behalf of AIDS victims, received a check in excess of $100,000
from Citizen Action.

Records filed with the California secretary of state show that LIFE Aids
Lobby gave $143,000 to Californians for Medical Rights on Oct. 24 and
$25,000 five days later.