CSAC Under Fire Once Again, Ethics Probe Underway

In some interesting news coming from the L.A. Times, the California State Athletic Commission is now under investigation in an ethics probe:

The leader of the state Senate announced Thursday that he would knock two of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees off the troubled California State Athletic Commission, but as he did so, one of the members abruptly resigned.

The board, which regulates boxing and mixed martial arts, has had problems for years with management, personnel, regulation and ethics, state audits and other records show.

Last week, The Times reported that commissioners had obtained from promoters they regulate free admission to big-ticket sports events for numerous friends and relatives. A state ethics agency, the Fair Political Practices Commission, launched an investigation.

Governor Schwarzenegger has the power to appoint officials, and his appointments have normally been accepted in the past. The problem? As with anything political, other motives behind appointments run rampant. Many of the names and occupations connected to those names on the board don't correlate to boxing, MMA, or the safety of fighters. Many of the names scream "favor".

While there are some qualified individuals, there are also a lot of power players from the Southern California market on the board who have no business making decisions regarding MMA fighters, steroid testing, and suspensions. We could take a couple of weeks outlining the many failures by the commission, most notably fighters testing positive for vast amount of multiple drugs and having suspensions reduced.

Commission Chairman Timothy Noonan actually resigned following the decision to reject the two candidates, stating an "outstanding" candidate had been rejected. Longtime boxing referee Pat Russell and entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez were ousted from their posts. Noonan and Lopez were re-appointed to four-year terms earlier in the year, but Lopez and Russell weren't confirmed by Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). This leaves the commission without three members... and frankly, Steinberg is right:

Consumer Affairs Director Brian Stiger, in a letter to Noonan on Wednesday, praised the commissioners' choice, Pat Russell, a longtime boxing referee. But he said that due to its "well-documented" problems, the board "vitally needs an executive officer with a proven and demonstrated ability to effectively manage a complex government program."

....

Steinberg said he hopes that Schwarzenegger "looks for new members whose priority is protecting the health and safety of the athletes they regulate rather than arranging for free admission to boxing and [mixed martial arts] events."

Steinberg will hopefully get some action from the "Governator" on this rejection of candidates. Most of the commission members don't truly belong in those positions due to lack of background in boxing or mixed martial arts, or a lack of any medical training or knowledge of the effects of steroids, drug use, or the sports they are involved in. The CSAC does need a proven officer to manage the commission, and they need people who aren't going to back down to James Toney going on a rampant tirade during a hearing while still having his suspension reduced.