Cal State Stanislaus has been all over the news this week after announcing that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would be the speaker delivering the keynote address at their 50th anniversary in June. Some people in the area are excited to come see Palin speak, but the event is also causing some controversy in California. There is a loophole under California law that CSU Stanislaus is exploiting, by utilizing their non-profit foundation to pay Palin for speaking at the anniversary event. Palin has been riding on her 15 minutes of fame which she received as the republican vice-presidential candidate, by making paid appearances as a speaker. This was a smart business move, but State Senator Leland Yee is curious how much CSU Stanislaus is paying Palin for the keynote speech. Unfortunately the way the loophole is right now allows non-profits to not be subject to California open records law.
CSU Stanislaus president Matt Swanson has made it clear that the university is raising additional outside funds to pay Palin for her keynote speech at the 50th anniversary in June. Celebrities of similar stature often receive $75,000 to $100,000 per appearance. Despite this possible amount, CSU Stanislaus feels that the event will bring in a massive crowd to the California university so that they can raise serious money for their non-profit foundation. They plan to raise more than enough to cover Palin’s fee, but with the loophole we will never know if CSU Stanislaus generates enough revenue to offset the cost of this event. Luckily Yee is helping work on legislation which will close the loophole in California law.
Tags: CSU Stanislaus, Sarah Palin
