Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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Some California Democrats are mad that their party has devoted record sums to help defray legal bills accrued by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, the Sacramento Bee reports:
The California Democratic Party's decision to spend another $250,000 on Senate leader Don Perata's legal bills has angered some party activists, who say the money would be better spent electing Democrats this year.
The Oakland Democrat has racked up nearly $2 million in fees fending off an ongoing FBI corruption investigation in the last four years. With the latest donation, made July 1, the party has now given a total of $450,000 to help cover Perata's legal bills.
"The California Democratic Party is in business to defeat Republicans and elect Democrats," said Rick Jacobs, co-founder of the Courage Campaign, a left-leaning online activist group. "It's not really to keep corrupt politicians out of jail."

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