by Jack Lee
They said in the most emphatic words possible, “We get it! The state is broke and we’ve done a bad job of managing the states assets, but we get it and we’re going to fix it – this time!” And of course I am paraphrasing our wonderful state legislators.
And what was one of their very first crucial acts to save the state you may wonder? Why it was to replace their aging fleet of 2010 cars and SUV’s with new 2011 cars and SUV’s! Isn’t that what you do every 10-12 months, buy a new car? Well, you could if you were a legislator.
Gov. Brown wants to take a new look at justifiying every vehicle the state buys – the state fleet now is over 13,000 vehicles.
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L.A. Times reporting from Sacramento said — Lawmakers have spent at least $259,000 in taxpayer funds on new SUVs and other vehicles for themselves in the last year despite a push by the new governor and the last one to cut California’s fleet amid the state’s financial crisis.
Newly elected Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D- Salinas) is taking delivery of a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid, worth $37,269. More than $32,000 went to buy a 2011 Ford Edge for freshman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), a “tea party” activist and the Legislature’s most strident conservative. And Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton), who was reelected, is now behind the wheel of a 2011 Ford Mustang worth $24,657.
The Assembly bought cars for eight legislators in the last year. An additional 24 new lawmakers are eligible to get new cars but have not yet asked for one yet, officials said.
The state Senate has not provided a roster requested last month of its new car purchases.
The expenditures are “an ongoing symptom of how out of touch legislators are with normal Californians,” said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. ” Sacramento operates as if it is another planet. They continue to have a party-hearty attitude.”
The same lawmakers will be taking up Gov. Jerry Brown’s plans to cut the government’s vehicle fleet of 13,600, which he says is too large. “To reduce the number of vehicles in the state’s fleet, the administration will require each vehicle’s purpose and necessity to be rejustified,” according to the budget Brown released Monday.
To pare the fleet, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sold off hundreds of cars in 2009.
The most expensive new car was purchased for Alejo. The assemblyman wanted to get a hybrid for environmental reasons, and needed a new car because he drives from his district to Sacramento and back every week — unlike many of his colleagues who fly home, spokeswoman Marva Diaz said.
“He is driving it a ton,” she said.
Galgiani had been driving a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria that and it had begun having mechanical problems, according to Robin Adam, a spokesman for the assemblywoman.
“It was starting to require a lot of service,” Adam said. END
PS Newly elected Sen. Ted Gaines-R, drives less than 20 miles to the Capitol from home and used his car allowance to buy a new Porsche. Ah, it’s good to be King.
The most expensive new car was purchased for Alejo. The assemblyman wanted to get a hybrid for environmental reasons, and needed a new car because he drives from his district to Sacramento and back every week — unlike many of his colleagues who fly home, spokeswoman Marva Diaz said.
“He is driving it a ton,” she said.
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Should he be driving a truck then? Although his chosen car looks more like a hearse. He has no need to be going back and forth so much. This is the electronic age. Watsonville was supposed to be a blighted area according to alejo and city administration and yet alejo can justify spending so much on a brand new car? Ludicrous! He wants the new/old project manabe-ow re-development to go through in order for the local budget to be balanced. The request of redevelopment funds is for $39,000,000. Surprise! This is not a REdevelopment project because there is nothing to REdevelop. There has been mention of 2,000 jobs along with the project but that is a carrot that is not hanging right. There are no 2,000 jobs and there is no REdevelopment. alejo desperately wants to get this funding to feed his ego and to pay back favors owed to several people. The city has given away so much money already that it only proves it can not be called a ‘blighted’ area; a personal loan to a wealthy multi owner of properties here, for $400,000. The city is also paying alejo’s personal debts of $9,000+ and including over $50,000 for a needless lawsuit. And now the guy is costing taxpayers a few thousands more for his own personal use.