Peace gives PG&E a chance

Jerry Brown may have sworn off political cash from Pacific Gas and Electric, but one high-flying San Diego ex-legislator is doubling down with the giant Northern California utility's money.

The Democratic governor's reelection campaign reported this Monday that it was refunding contributions from six Pacific Gas and Electric Co. executives as the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco said it was investigating the utility's back channel contacts with Brown's office and other state officials over the safety of its gas pipelines.

A 2010 gas explosion killed eight people in San Bruno.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Brown campaign spokesman Dan Newsman said, “$9,000 in donations were returned 'to be prudent in the midst of the inquiry.'"

Meanwhile, disclosure records show the Independent Voter PAC, run by former Democratic state senator Steve Peace of San Diego, has tanked up on PG&E’s money.

As previously reported here, the political action committee has played various roles in state politics, including backing Brown's November 2012 tax increase measure and in the same year opposing the election of Democrat Marty Block to the state senate.

In August 2013, U-T San Diego reported that the PAC fronted a so-called social media campaign for legislation favored by San Diego-based Sempra Energy, which gave $65,000 to the committee to pay for the services of IVC Media, run by Peace's son Chad.

So far this year, according to disclosure filings with the California secretary of state's office, PG&E has come up with $50,000 for the Peace PAC. Other 2014 donations include $25,000 each from San Diego's K Enterprises and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of American Independent Expenditure Committee.

The records show the PAC is making a series of independent expenditures in the form of online activity conducted by IVC Media. Beneficiaries include Assembly Democrat Richard Pan, running for state senate; Sharon Quirk Silva, another Assembly Democrat; and Jacqui Irwin, a Democratic Thousand Oaks city councilwoman running for the Assembly.

Meanwhile Jerry Brown may no longer be taking PG&E's money, but he still has a few friends at Sempra. His sister, former California treasurer Kathleen Brown, sits on the board of directors with another Brown intimate, his ex-staffer and one-term Democratic congresswoman Lynn Schenk, who is a Brown appointee to the state's bullet-train board.