Cow Palace Controvery

Accusations of self-dealing and political machinations surfaced when the president of the Cow Palace's board of directors, Robert McCarthy, accused fellow director and contractor LC Smith of conflict of interest because Smith's firm was a subcontractor in the project to install a hockey rink. McCarthy ordered Smith to resign from the board, while Smith countered by saying that McCarthy had approved of his participation in the project, until McCarthy's son, Robert McCarthy, Jr., started working on a run for the California governor ship against Democrat incumbent Edmund Brown. Smith was also a Democrat and a friend of Brown's.