What do water rates in Casmalia, CA have to do with lucrative telecommunications mergers? According to Thomas Elias of the Marysville Appeal-Democrat both felt the influence of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's need to appease his biggest campaign contributors.

The little town of Casmalia will see the water rates it pays to Casmite Corp. go up about 90% in the next three years. Casmite is owned by Chevron-Texaco, one of Schwarzenegger's most generous donors:

Among his largest donors is Chevron Texaco, which plunked $100,000 into the kitty of the governor's Dream Team Committee in early May, moving into 14th place on the list of his contributors with a total of $765,800 over five years.

Was it coincidence that the state Public Utilities Commission, controlled by Schwarzenegger appointees, within days gave Casmite an increase it ha d been seeking off and on for five years?

Nobody can be sure. But the rate increase will mean more than $100,000 in new revenue for Casmite (read: Chevron Texaco) over the next five years, which covers the donation. Anything after that is gravy. The amount is peanuts to Chevron Texaco, whose record—level profits of the last few years have been in the tens of billions of dollars. But giant corporations pay attention to their small subsidiaries, too.

Elias cites other instances where donors to Schwarzenegger's campaign made handsome profits off his policy decisions down the road -- and this is Governor who tried to campaign on his independence from special interests. Whether the Governor has indeed favored his contributors with profitable policy or not, there's no time like the present to get serious about a solution that will leave lawmakers free of allegations of being under the thumb of special interests: Clean Elections.