Palin to receive $75,000 for Cal State Stanislaus appearance, sources say
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will receive $75,000 to appear at a California State University campus fundraiser next month, two sources at the university have confirmed.
The sources, who have seen the contract for the appearance -- at Cal State Stanislaus, in Turlock -- said it calls for $75,000 plus expenses for Palin's hotel, air fare and travel. But the former governor's travel has not been booked yet and the exact cost of expenses is still to be determined, said the sources, who said they wished to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to speak about the contract.
Palin is receiving the fee in two payments of $37,500 each, one of which has already been paid, the sources said.
Palin’s planned attendance at Cal State Stanislaus’ 50th Anniversary gala on June 25 has provoked a storm of controversy, principally because officials had refused to disclose her speaking fee, which had been reported to be as high as $100,000.
Cal State Stanislaus was sued last month by a government watchdog group, which alleges that the campus is violating the California Public Records Act by withholding key documents relating to Palin's attendance.
University officials in turn have argued that the event is being hosted by the Cal State Stanislaus Foundation, a private non- profit organization that is not subject to the Public Records Act. The contract also includes a confidentiality clause.
The controversy prompted a probe of the foundation’s finances by state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown after several Cal State Stanislaus students claimed to have found a portion of the Palin contract in a campus dumpster, with requirements for the appearance that included "plenty of bottled water and bendable straws.” The documents, however, did not include the fee.
-- Carla Rivera
Photo: L.A. Times file