Voucher Backer Confirmed by Senate
SACRAMENTO — Industrialist William J. Hume, who donated $100,000 to public school voucher initiatives in Colorado and Oregon, was narrowly confirmed Thursday by the state Senate as a member of the State Board of Education.
Hume, a major Republican contributor and chairman of the board of Basic American Inc., an international food processing company, was appointed to the board a year ago by Gov. Pete Wilson.
The vote confirming the appointment was 28-9, one more than the two-thirds margin required. Democrats cast all the no votes.
Hume’s pro-voucher stance touched off controversy last month in a Senate committee, but he pledged he would not promote or support any school voucher proposals as a member of the California board.
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