By Ed Fletcher, Sacramento Bee

Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler has struggled at times to win over voters in his own district. Now, his side job has him trying to win over Iowa lawmakers.

Uhler has quietly taken a job as vice president of government affairs for U.S. Digital Gaming, a Beverly-hills based company working to legalize and operate online poker. His focus has been persuading the Iowa Legislature to legalize online poker.

California is also in the early stages of considering legislation to legalize online gambling. Uhler has not been tasked with lobbying California legislators, but his boss was set to testify before a legislative committee this week.

In 1992 Placer County voters approved Measure A, making supervisors part time and slashing their pay from $84,000 to $30,000, with no benefits or retirement plan. They are among the lowest-paid county supervisors in the state.

While some may be uneasy over Uhler’s job, at least one political expert said that’s the way it is when elected officials are part-timers.

Read the whole story