Grover Norquist makes his case at a recent meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (Photo by Gage Skidmore.)

Financier and a primary mover and shaker behind the drive to get legislators to sign a “no tax pledge,” Grover Norquist was reportedly in California and meeting with Republican lawmakers in Sacramento to shore up their commitment to his “no-tax” pledge, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Norquist, a long-time supporter of privatizing government services, has also been a driving force behind efforts to pass “school vouchers” that would take public funds from public schools and use the money to underwrite private schools. Norquist is also reportedly the source for the “starve the beast” strategy that would undermine public services by eliminating their funding over time.

Only a handful of California GOP lawmakers have resisted Norquist’s pressure on the “no tax pledge.”

Norquist’s trip to California comes about a week after more than 300 CTA members, parents, and other school supporters converged on the Capitol to tell lawmakers why it is vital for them to extend the state’s temporary taxes.

See the Bee story for the details.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/25/3651880/jerry-brown-grover-norquist-spar.html