County spent generously on lobbyists

Riverside County spent more than $6 million on outside lobbying firms during a 10-year period, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise.

Since 2010, the county has also spent nearly $900,000 related to the California State Association of Counties and the Southern California Association of Governments, the report stated.

County officials believe lobbying professionals look out for the county’s interest at the state and local level. Among other projects, lobbying helped the county obtain a Metrolink extension and helped pay for the long-planned medical school at UC Riverside, the report stated.

Still, Riverside County has cut its lobbying budget of late, from $636,000 in 2001 to $409,000 last year, according to the report.