Drowning in wastefulness

Alicia Robinson

California ranks near the bottom of the 50 states in wasteful federal

spending, but Congress approved more than $3 million in local “pork

barrel” projects, according to Citizens Against Government Waste. The

Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group on Wednesday released its

annual “pig book,” which catalogs what it sees as unnecessary

congressional spending.

Statewide, 2004 wasteful spending was listed at nearly $643

million, which averaged about $18.12 per person and ranked California

43rd nationwide in pork spending, the group said.

Local projects it considered wasteful were the Army Corps of

Engineers’ receipt of $500,000 for construction in the Upper Newport

Bay; $1.05 million Vanguard University received for equipment and

construction of a new science center; $500,000 that went to Newport

Beach company Multi Dimensional Imaging Inc. from the Department of

Health and Human Services; and $1 million the Orange County

Sanitation District received for wastewater treatment programs.

The group also criticized $423 million in Homeland Security pork

spending that included $60 million for science and technology

fellowship programs for students and universities and $20 million for

the Homeland Security department headquarters. Rep. Chris Cox, who

chairs the House committee on homeland security, was unavailable for

comment.

Cox hires 20-year journalist and Enron investigator

Rep. Chris Cox announced last week he has hired Ken Johnson,

former aide and advisor to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-Los Angeles), as a

senior advisor on the leadership staff and Homeland Security

Committee.

Johnson has worked on legislation including the national

do-not-call list and the 2003 Energy Policy Act. As deputy staff

director for the House Energy and Commerce Committee he was involved

in congressional investigations into corporate debacles including

Enron, Global Crossing and Martha Stewart. He also has 20 years of

experience as a journalist and has won more than 50 awards for his

work in that field.

Campbell sure spending won’t get out of hand

Now that California voters have approved Proposition 57, a

$15-billion bond issue, and Proposition 58, an initiative requiring

state legislators to balance the budget, 70th District Assemblyman

John Campbell will hold off on backing an initiative that would

impose stricter controls on state spending.

The initiative was approved by the Secretary of State’s office for

signature collection last week, but Campbell said there wouldn’t have

been enough time to get the 600,000 signatures needed to qualify for

the November ballot by the April 16 deadline. He’ll make some

revisions to the measure and try to get it on the ballot in March

2006, the next statewide election.

“There could be 15 or more initiatives on the November ballot,”

Campbell said. “It’s going to be a mess.”

Campbell said he’s not concerned that the delay in getting the

initiative before voters will result in wild overspending by his

colleagues.

“If Gov. Davis were still in office I’d be worried, but until we

get a constitutional spending limit, Gov. Schwarzenegger is the

spending limit, so I’m confident that he will keep a lid on things at

least through 2006,” he said.