Name: California lawmakers, lobbyists mingle on Maui at getaway, pandemic or no pandemic
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California lawmakers, lobbyists mingle on Maui at getaway, pandemic or no pandemic

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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSACRAMENTO — Although the coronavirus pandemic has largely grounded the global travel industry, it did not stop the annual political conference that brings California lawmakers to Hawaii for five days of policy discussions and schmoozing with corporate sponsors.The conference, which has been hosted by the Independent Voter Project every November for more than a decade, is taking place this week at the on Maui’s southwest shore.“Somebody has to be first to say, ‘OK, we’re going to do a group event safely,’” Dan Howle, chairman and executive director of the Independent Voter Project, said in a phone interview from Maui.The event is smaller this year, only a third of its usual size, Howle said. Organizers booked about 50 rooms at the Fairmont and have about 120 people staying there this week, including legislators from California, Texas and Washington state.The Independent Voter Project paid $550 for their airfare, Howle said, as well a five-night stay at the hotel, where rooms now run $600 or more per day.More for youHowle declined to name the attendees, but said there were fewer than 20 lawmakers from the three states. The remainder of the guests include legislators’ spouses and other family members, as well as representatives of businesses and trade groups that pay thousands of dollars to gain access to lawmakers who may later be voting on bills affecting their industries.Such sponsorships have cost $10,000 in recent years, though Howle said he was offering a significant reduction for this conference because of the pandemic.The Independent Voter Project, founded in 2006, is a nonprofit that says it aims to empower nonpartisan voters and promote a less polarized approach to governing. It was behind the 2010 ballot initiative that instituted California’s top-two primary system.But the group — by corporate donors including AT&amp;T, Eli Lilly and Co., Pepsico, Walmart and the Western States Petroleum Association — is best-known in Sacramento for spending tens of thousands of dollars each year to bring dozens of lawmakers to Maui.Critics see the conference as a between special interests and lawmakers, who participate in policy panels in the morning and then have the rest of the day free to enjoy the island. Howle has defended it as an opportunity to work through complex policy issues in a relaxed environment.He said the conference has particular resonance this year because it is focused on how to safely reopen the economy and the tourism sector. Representatives of Maui County and the Hawaii governor’s office are scheduled to speak to attendees about the regulations they’ve adopted.About Our Newsroom“Hawaii has established a very detailed, safe travel program, and Independent Voter Project wanted to be able to take advantage of that,” Howle said.He added that he did not decide to go ahead with the conference until last month, when Hawaii relaxed its travel policy so people could visit the state if they had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours before arriving. Additional safety precautions include an application that guests must download onto their phones to track their movements while in the state and a requirement that they wear masks anywhere outside their hotel rooms.“We’re bending over backwards to make sure there’s every conceivable safety protocol,” Howle said. “We’ve been really careful. We didn’t make the final decision to do this until the state had a program to reopen.”Under a travel advisory issued last week, legislators and others attending the conference are upon their return to California.Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter:About Our Newsroom

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSACRAMENTO — Although the coronavirus pandemic has largely grounded the global travel industry, it did not stop the annual political conference that brings California lawmakers to Hawaii for five days of policy discussions and schmoozing with corporate sponsors.The conference, which has been hosted by the Independent Voter Project every November for more than a decade, is taking place this week at the on Maui’s southwest shore.“Somebody has to be first to say, ‘OK, we’re going to do a group event safely,’” Dan Howle, chairman and...

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Alexei Koseff

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California lawmakers, lobbyists mingle on Maui at getaway, pandemic or no pandemic

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