This won't balance the state budget, in fact it won't even
make a dent in it, but a state commission's decision to cut the car allowances,
fringe benefits and expense checks for California
legislators is welcome just the same.
The California Citizens Compensation Commission voted unanimously
Tuesday to cut all three by 18 percent, effective Dec. 1.
Look for some blow back, however. The commission's lawyer
warned the members that they didn't have authority to change legislative per
diem, the $173-a-day expense reimbursements paid to state senators and Assembly
members every day that the Legislature is in session. Because of the way
legislative rules are written, it's also paid many days that the Legislature isn't in
session. Some years ago, a reporter caught one Assembly member claiming per
diem on Thanksgiving.
The checks, which nominally cover living expenses for a
second home in Sacramento,
add up to about $35,000 a year. The money is tax free. Abuse of a similar
benefit caused a recent scandal in Britain's House of Commons that
nearly brought down Prime Miister Gordon Brown
It's past time for a hard look at per diem payments for
state legislators.
Obama haters out there should check out this entry from Dan
Froomkin's White House watch blog at washingtonpost.com. Obama lovers ought to
check it out, too. It's a good reminder that in politics, image often counts
for more than principle.
For those who don't want to follow the link, here's the
Reader's Digest version: In a bid to limit access to public records, Obama Justice
Department lawyers have adopted some of the reasoning used by the Bush Justice
Department. But here's the kicker - the purpose of the exemption they seek to
create is to ensure that officials aren't picked on by the likes of David
Letterman and Jon Stewart.
California
once was governed responsibly. We hear it every election, usually from those
running to govern California.
Well, here's a wonderful piece of state history courtesy of
the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert: For readers who are tempted to
romanticize state politics back in those days, we leave you with the story of Milton Latham.
Governor
in early 1860, Latham promised in his
inaugural address to tackle the state debt. It was close to an
eye-popping $3.9 million. Million with an M.
Then
Latham persuaded the Legislature to appoint
him to a vacant U.S. Senate seat. The senator, you see, had died in a duel.
All
in all, Latham was governor for five days. It's still the record.
Sonia Sotomayor didn't have much choice but to quit the
Belizean Grove, the women's only club that bills itself as the XX chromosome
equivalent of the Bohemian Club. As a federal judge, she probably shouldn't
have been a member to begin with. I doubt it costs her the Supreme Court seat -
and it really shouldn't - though it's fair game for the confirmation hearings.
I also don't think that Justice Antonin Scalia has any
business joining the boys to pee on trees at the Bohemian Grove, but according
to the program for the 1997 encampment, the justice spoke on church, state and
the constitution. He resigned his membership before being appointed to the
court. So did Justice Anthony Kennedy.
As the old saying goes, elections have consequences.
For Bob Deis, the county administrator, it was his job. It's
not yet clear if the same fate awaits Steve Donley, Rohnert Park's city manager.
Deis, who stepped down today, has been at odds with county
employees and county retirees for at least a year. Cuts in retiree health
benefits and a tougher negotiating stance at the bargaining table made for
difficult - perhaps poisonous - relations.
His departure was engineered in closed session and announced
in a press release. Details eventually will leak but the politics aren't hard
to sort out.
One of the new board members - Shirlee Zane -
was elected with cash and support from public employees. She was skeptical
of Deis' approach during the campaign and has voted against staff recommendations
on several items, most notably during the recent budget hearings.
Valerie Brown, who narrowly survived a challenge in
November, also was critical of some of Deis' recommendations. And so was
Supervisor Mike Kerns, who has announced his own plans to step down. The other new board member, Efren Carrillo, also raised questions about the approach to employee health benefits during the campaign. He also joined Kerns and Brown in asking about the cost of outside legal counsel during the recent budget hearings.
Of course, Deis' ouster does nothing to change the county's
financial situation. It remains to be seen if a different administrator will
ease tensions with county employees.
In Rohnert Park,
Donley has been on active duty military leave since last year. A new council
majority was elected while he was gone, and they've been sharply critical of city
management since, including several closed-door reviews of the interim manager.
Donley, who is widely respected in local government circles,
recently requested a performance evaluation from the council. Will that end the
same as today's session between Deis and the Board of Supervisors?
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