A Phillip Randolph Institute...A Local Shill

People who know a bit about San Francisco politics will tell you that the A. Phillip Randolph Institute is little more than a front for corporate interests. Now the LA Times has broken the story...on the record:

James Bryant, who earned just under $68,000 as a transit station agent in 2007, received about $117,000 that year as president of the San Francisco chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, according to the tax return and the city's Municipal Transportation Agency. He was also paid or reimbursed about $10,000 as an executive board member for SEIU Local 1021, whose political committee he chairs, the union's financial statements show.

The nonprofit's tax-exempt purpose is to promote civil rights, voter education and the interests of black workers. Its biggest contributors include Pacific Gas & Electric and other corporate benefactors that have enlisted it to campaign for or against ballot initiatives dealing with energy and land development.

During the Willie Brown era, APRI was known as hizzoner's water carriers. And since Willie was a PG&E lawyer before he became mayor, this is to be expected. Yet another corporate-funded astroturf play in SF politics.