You know a new friend of mine just told me something the other day in regards to my recent blog. The subject was about how Governor Schwarzenegger was a limited partner in several Goldman Sachs equity funds. In these times of Wall Street and Financial crimes to find an elected State official who carries such a huge responsibility to you and I makes this an alarming discovery. I hope you review how his budget actions and hold out may not be in California’s best interest in regards to our already shattered economy and the credit default certificates still outstanding on California Go bonds. Let us not forget Goldman Sachs is still making money going and coming but more alarming than that. They have far too much access to policy makers as the articles below will elaborate on. So what about these California Go bonds? They are not in the type of demand that was expected even with Goldman Sachs often times involved in the sales of them. Goldman Sachs also has continued in the practice of selling an investment to clients while still betting the performance will come up short. This sounds like a repeat performance that ended up as what we now call the “Wall Street Bail Out”. Than one has to wonder if the possible short performance and budget hold out is just more of the continued abuse by our elected officials. When one really stops to think about it , we see irresponsible acts as common place these days. Now on most days that would be the bad news but these are very demanding times we live in. What does it say about two additional hopeful’s running for the same office of Governor and that also have Goldman Sachs equity fund ties? Just stop and think about what’s at stake here. Pension funds being robbed going and coming and Governor Schwarzenegger claiming to be holding the budget hostage to reform. I almost forgot; getting back to comment my friend Antonio shared the other day. “ It is really hard to hide from the truth”.
http://inteldaily.com/2010/05/truth-about-california%E2%80%99s-gubernatorial-election-2010/
Truth about California’s Gubernatorial Election 2010
May 20, 2010
The current poster-child for such “market making” corporations has been Goldman Sachs, and for considerably good reason. In California, the news is no different: all three leading candidates in the race do business with G-Sachs; they are, Meg Whitman (R), Scott Poizner (D), and Jerry Brown (D). We’ll begin with the multi-billionaire CEO, Meg Whitman.
Poizner borrowed $500,000 to finance his 2004 state assembly race with the help of Goldman Sachs, and state financial records detail his history of investments with the firm. “Attacking a candidate for flimsy ties to a private company is exactly what you would expect from a desperate liberal – and I guess that includes Steve Poisner, too,” said Whitman’s spokesman, Bounds.
Please read below in regards to California and CDS
BILL LOCKYER TREASURER STATE OF CALIFORNIA
March 29,2010
Mr. Lloyd C. Blankfein Chairman of the Board and CEO Goldman, Sachs & Co. 85 Broad Street, 30th Floor New York, NY 10004
Dear Mr. Blankfein:
I write to request information about your firm's market activities related to credit default swaps on municipal bonds in general, and State of California general obligation (GO) bonds specifically. The State never has defaulted on a debt service payment in its history. Small wonder. The State's GO bonds are backed by the full faith and credit, and taxing power, of the eighth largest economy on the planet. Under the state Constitution, debt service has second call on General Fund revenues, right behind schools. To provide a picture of this protection's strength, consider: Your firm is fully aware of all this, because it sells California GO bonds. Frequently, your firm manages those bond sales.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=print/7514
Could Goldman Sachs Do to California What It Did to Greece?
Recent reports that financial legerdemain engineered by Goldman Sachs helped destabilize the Greek economy ought to make Californians nervous. It’s time to ask if Goldman could do to us what it appears to have done to the Greeks and, indirectly, to the rest of Europe
In February, major news organizations reported that the Federal Reserve Board is investigating the role that Goldman – a major recipient of federal bailout funds during our own financial meltdown – played in the Greek debt crisis. The firm used complex financial instruments called “derivatives” to help the Greek government hide the fact that it was in debt up to its eyeballs and getting in deeper.
That, in turn, allowed Greece’s participation in the Euro, Europe’s common currency, under what may have been false pretenses. “One deal created by Goldman Sachs helped obscure billions in debt from budget overseers in Brussels,” the New York Times reported. The deal, “hidden from public view … helped Athens to meet Europe’s deficit rules while continuing to spend beyond its means.”
There are reasons to be nervous about California’s entanglement with Goldman, which has been a major participant in bond sales to finance our state’s ballooning deficit.
For example, the Los Angeles Times reported in November 2008 that Goldman had urged some of its biggest clients to place investment bets against the very California bonds that it had helped sell. Such actions could increase investors’ fears about the state’s credit, officials told the paper, thereby driving up the interest rate the state must pay to sell the bonds, increasing the cost to taxpayers.
More recently, Bloomberg News reported that a $4.5 billion state bond offering, handled by Goldman, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, fizzled last October, bringing in less money and costing the state more in interest than anticipated. The state had chosen to fore go competitive bids in giving the deal to the trio of companies – which, according to Bloomberg, “made 12.4 million on the deal, contributing to record bonuses in the securities industry a year after getting a total of $80 billion in a federal bailout.”
It is time for the legislature to hold an investigatory hearing into the possible risks of California’s relationship with Goldman Sachs. Legislators should ask some basic questions: Just how much exposure does the state have to Goldman? Has the firm been transparent about any counsel it has provided to the state regarding finances?
At the same time, officials might ask why Goldman is happy to profit from our bond business while refusing to invest in California’s needs. In a February 2 meeting with the Greenlining Institute, the company claimed that it does not do business in California and therefore does not intend to invest in California in the foreseeable future – even as it is developing a major program of community development and investments in New York.
That seems an odd statement in light of the firm’s considerable California bond business. In fact, in 2008, about seven percent of Goldman’s global business could be attributed to California operations. In dollar terms, that means our state contributed about $2.1 billion to the company’s profits from 2006 through 2008.
All major banks doing business in California have substantial community reinvestment commitments aimed at low and moderate income communities. Bank of America, for example, has committed half a trillion dollars to Community Reinvestment Act programs in California over 10 years. Goldman, which managed to pay $11 billion in bonuses during the financial crisis year of 2008, has committed zero.
Something looks wrong here. It’s time for officials to ask some serious questions about California’s relationship with a firm whose track record can only be described as disturbing
What about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ties to Goldman Sachs, the same Investment funds as Meg Whitman?
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD CALLS ON WHITMAN TO RELEASE DETAILS OF GOLDMAN SACHS VULTURE FUNDS AND INVESTMENT HOLDINGS
Posted on 12 April 2010.
April 12, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Sean Clegg
Dan Newman
(415) 981-9940
media@scnstrategies.com
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD CALLS ON WHITMAN TO RELEASE DETAILS OF GOLDMAN SACHS VULTURE FUNDS AND INVESTMENT HOLDINGS
Whitman’s Goldman Investments Include Two “Distressed Opportunity” Vulture Funds
SAN FRANCISCO — Today Level the Playing Field 2010 called on corporate billionaire Meg Whitman and the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. [NYSE: GS] to publicly disclose the investments and holdings for a list of 20 Goldman Sachs investment funds in which Meg Whitman is an investor or partner. According to a joint investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and the San Francisco Chronicle published Sunday, Whitman’s extensive holdings with the banking giant include more than $1 million each in two Goldman Sachs “distressed opportunity” funds, or so-called “vulture funds,” which swoop in on flailing assets and recession-ravaged companies.
“Californians have a right to know whether Meg Whitman has been profiting on their misery, and we are asking Whitman and Goldman to publicly release all fund prospectuses and to fully detail the holdings of these vulture funds,” said Level the Playing Field campaign manager Sean Clegg. “If Whitman is going to offer her business experience as her chief qualification for the job of governor, she needs to be prepared to detail these investments and explain her record on vulture investing, derivatives trading, mortgaged-backed securities, lavish corporate bonuses, questionable insider stock deals, and huge public bailouts.”
According to the CIR-Chronicle report, Goldman Sachs has been a “major player in public finance in the state,” having advanced recent plans to privatize state services and acting as the underwriter of $78.9 billion in bonds since 2006, while holding more than $1.3 billion in state pension fund investments. The report details Whitman’s extensive ties to the firm as an investor, corporate director, recipient of insider stock deals and campaign contributions.
The report shows how after steering millions of dollars in eBay business to Goldman, Whitman received $475,000 in directors fees and was awarded insider access to Goldman-managed initial public offerings (IPOs) where Whitman netted an estimated $1.78 million overnight profit flipping stocks. The controversial practice, known as “spinning,” which has since been banned, prompted a congressional investigation into Whitman and others and a lawsuit by eBay shareholders, which Whitman settled. In her campaign for governor, Whitman has received $105,000 in donations from Goldman executives.
As a Goldman Sachs board member, Whitman was at the center the Wall Street practices that have been widely identified as leading agents of the economic crisis. During Whitman’s time as a director, Goldman invested $140 billion into mortgage-backed securities, which the firm later sold off, according to the CIR-Chronicle report, “essentially unloading the assets before the market plunged and (sending) the nation into economic crisis.” As a member of Goldman’s executive compensation committee, Whitman personally approved $79 million in bonuses to the firm’s top five executives.
“Whitman’s record at Goldman places her directly at the scene of the crime where the middle class got turned upside down, and where a handful of individuals, including Meg Whitman herself, made millions at public and shareholder expense,” said Level the Playing Field senior strategist Ace Smith. “Whitman needs to explain whether she sold California short and bet against the interests of America’s middle class.”
Level the Playing Field 2010 called on Whitman and Goldman Sachs to provide full details on the holdings and investments of the following Whitman investment vehicles:
GOLDMAN SACHS 2001 EXCHANGE PLACE FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS 2002 EXCHANGE PLACE FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS CABLE INVESTORS
GOLDMAN SACHS VINTAGE FUND III
GOLDMAN SACHS VINTAGE FUND V
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS 2000
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS V
GS CAPITAL PARTNERS VI
GS DISTRESSED OPPORTUNITIES FUND
GS DISTRESSED OPPORTUNITIES FUND IV
GS MEZZANINE PARTNERS III
GS MEZZANINE PARTNERS V
GS MOUNT KELLETT CAPITAL PARTNERS ACCESS FUND
GS PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS 1999
GS SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND ASIA
GS VINTAGE FUND II
GS WEST STREET PARTNERS
GSCP V AIV
GSCP VI AIV
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s schedule C that is on file @
http://www.fppc.ca.gov/form700/constitutionals/Schwarzenegger_Arnold.pdf
as it turns out he is a limited partner in several funds of Goldman Sachs!
SCHEDULE C - Form 700, 01101109 - 12/31109
Income & Business Positions
(Income Other than Loans, Gifts, and Travel Payments)
Name of Source
Acacia Partners, L.P.
Apollo Investment Fund IV
Dawntreader Fund II., L.P
Morgan Stanley Capital Partners IV L.P
Dimensional Fund Advisors, Inc.
Goldman Sachs Private Equity Partners 1II, L..P
Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund XllI, L.P
Goldman Sachs Capitol Partners 2000 L.P. Fair Value “ over 1 million Nature of Investment Limited Partner.
Goldman Sachs Private Equity Partner III Limited Partner up to 1 Million
Organized by a group of leading California Democrats concerned about the massive infusion of personal wealth into the governor’s race by billionaire and millionaire self-funders, Level the Playing Field’s mission is to ensure a fair fight in the November elections. According to Capitol Weekly, “No group has done more with less than Level the Playing Field 2010.”
Review the some of the California Go Bond holdings of Goldman Sachs and there funds.
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/DisplayFilingInfo.aspx?Type=HTML&text=%2526lt%253bNEAR%252f4%2526gt%253b(%22ARNOLD%22%2c%22SCHWARZENEGGER%22)&FilingID=6715130&ppu=%2fPeopleFilingResults.aspx%3fPersonID%3d1941598%26PersonName%3dARNOLD%2520SCHWARZENEGGER
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS FEDERAL PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS MONEY MARKET PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS PRIME OBLIGATIONS PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS TAX-EXEMPT CALIFORNIA PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS TAX-EXEMPT DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS TAX-EXEMPT NEW YORK PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS TREASURY INSTRUMENTS PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS INSTITUTIONAL LIQUID ASSETS TREASURY OBLIGATIONS PORTFOLIO
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE FEDERAL FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE MONEY MARKET FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE PRIME OBLIGATIONS FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE GOVERNMENT FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE TAX-FREE MONEY MARKET FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE TREASURY INSTRUMENTS FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS FINANCIAL SQUARE TREASURY OBLIGATIONS FUND
Money Market Funds of the Goldman Sachs Trust
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
I know many feel my review of what I went through in criminal and civil court is simply sour grapes over a divorce but no there is so much more at stake. I sat in the Court House basement while in custody waiting to appear before the courts and a Judge after being arrested for the first time in my life at 45. Now at the scene of the alleged crime I had no idea what the hell was going on but I never expected to be arrested much less charged with a strike-able felony as I was. So me being a person who believes in the ‘system’ and its fair and ethical applications (a cherry) really had no fear much could happen. I have never been more off base in my life!. So the bailiff pulls me from the holding cell at about 1030 am to be arraigned on my charges in department 8 in the criminal court division of Santa Barbara Superior Court. So as my name is called a piece of paper is handed to me that says at 8am that morning I had already appeared in department 8 for a short procedure and the results were on the document I had just been handed as fact. Now get this, not only was I being told I was some where I was not. That document I had just been handed came with 4 witness’s that could and would verify I was there. A Superior Court Commissioner, a representative from the District Attorneys office, a bailiff and a Deputy Clerk I mean hard to refute there integrity. So I asked the obvious question; why didn’t you hand me that document at 8am when I had magically appeared before all of you in this court room?
. In another instance 4 lawyers fought a civil court case over my home all with out me every being notified or even invited to attend the proceedings. Now very simply here folks I lost a house that never had an auction sale date. Than I allegedly sold the same house I lost 3 years later. Or another time I sat in jail for months on end with no charges and had to prove that with help from the Department of Justice.
Than there was the time I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance from the County care facility. Now in this case I know I was rushed to the hospital since I have the billing. I also have a hospital staffs telling me it never happen. I will be the first to admit that all I had mentioned to my son Vincent when he came to visit me was that my kidney area was hurting more and more every day and I said I’m not sure why?. As I was walking to work the other day I remembered I had my brother help me rent a hotel room with a heated pool after my release from the care facility. You see I was rushed to the hospital on 11/23 but I swam to help with the pain all the way until 12/15. That’s because the sissy’s that would over medicate me (a felony) and than hit ( another felony) me almost got away with it. Hector the next time we meet sissy it will be my turn. It’s been almost 5 years since than and I am still waiting for justice. The Care Facility Administrator and Detective Miller who is currently investigating a questionable death at the same facility have yet to respond to any of my recent correspondence.
What about my experiences in Morgan Hill 5 years ago I had this person named Larry R. Vega who would follow me around. He had a friend named Oscar Flores but more on him at another time. We were at the Extended Stay studios and he is almost stalking me. I switch rooms and hotel floors and he always ends up in the room next to mine. What I do know about my experience in Morgan Hill is people wanted me out of the hotel due to there illegal activity’s not mine. For example if you looked into Larry R. Vega’s family they also lived in Morgan Hill making his stay at a hotel for 2 months out of place. He was a proper weight for his height, neat and well dressed. He wore casual business attire an seamed financially stable. I would imagine him more a hotel suite kind of guy and not a long term place like I had picked me being from out of town. His family business is in packaging and they do business in two border towns of Mexico, El Paso and Tijuana as well as Texas.
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