Aside from watching the Academy Awards, my weekend was great fun. Not only did I make another trip to the beach to run around with Jen and our pup Stella, but we headed north to wine country Saturday afternoon for a spontaneous trip to Sonoma. There, I joined a wine of the month club. I'm excited about that. Not only will good wine come in the mail to me every month, but I now get discounts on my favorite wine (for you curious connoisseurs, it's Viansa's 1997 "La Nebbia").

Have a great week, and thanks to those of you who gave us great feedback last week on our new "Clips of the Week" section. I'm glad it's proving useful.

-Gabe

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Last week was no exception, when two favorite topics -- politicians' wages and their automobile-related expenses -- drew public attention.

Most people have to pay the costs to operate their own cars -- the fuel, the monthly payment to the bank or leasing company, the insurance payment, the repairs, the routine maintenance. It is usually a hefty chunk of anyone's budget, so when reports emerge about the politicians' publicly financed driving habits, interest is high.

The state pays lawmakers up to $400 a month to lease a car, and provides them with a free gasoline credit card. This is a major benefit, as most commuters would quickly attest.

It should be quickly noted that lawmakers spend a lot of time in their cars, driving around their districts to do precisely the things for which they were elected -- meeting with us, listening to our concerns and representing us in Sacramento. The work hours are long and grueling -- just ask their staffs -- and their weekends often are spent in official functions rather than home with their families. And, of course, there are added tensions in election years and when there are fierce political fights over the state budget and other issues. And some of the districts, especially the rural senatorial districts, are huge; the best way to get from one point to another is by automobile.

Moreover, major companies often provide cars and expenses to their employees, so it should come as no surprise that the state's political leaders enjoy similar perks.

Having said that, however, it is always intriguing to see the taxpayer-supported expenses that lawmakers run up as they use their automobiles, many of them top-of-the-line SUVs and sedans.

The 1999 car-related expense figures were disclosed last week, and the top spender was Assemblyman Dean Florez, D-Shafter, who reported $4,833 for the year. In second place was Assemblyman Brett Granlund, R-Yucaipa, at $4,744.

The top Senate driver was Sen. Bruce MacPherson, R-Santa Cruz, with $4,521.

Six lawmakers, all Democrats, didn't charge anything, presumably because they used their own vehicles and paid for their own fuel -- Davis of San Diego, Dutra of Fremont, Knox of Los Angeles, Dunn of Garden Grove, O'Connell of San Luis Obispo and Solis of El Monte.

Official salaries also were in the news.

A commission created by voters with the intention of preventing politicians from setting their own salaries approved significant increases in pay, although most members of the Legislature were left out of the largess.

The seven-member commission boosted the pay of Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, to $175,000 a year, a 6 percent hike -- a figure that Davis said he will not accept. A similar percentage increase was approved for other statewide elected officers and the four members of the Board of Equalization, a powerful tax appeals board. The highest paid governor in the nation, by the way, is George Pataki of New York, who earns $179,000 annually.

The salaries of the top GOP leaders in the Senate and Assembly also were raised to equal the salaries of the top Democratic leaders, who head the majority parties in both houses. The salary for all will be $113,850 annually, about $7,000 more than they make now.

The increases take effect Dec. 4.

This is pretty good money, by most workers' yardsticks. Public officials, elected and otherwise, are fond of saying that they could earn far more in the private sector, and perhaps this is true. But the attraction of statewide office isn't the money -- it's the ability to wield power and to have a say-so on how the state is run.

The voter-approved commission was originally seen as a means to keep salaries down. But the reality is that legislators for years were hesitant to raise their pay -- and the pay of constitutional officers -- because of the political heat accompanying such moves.

The irony is that the commission, officially known as the California Citizens Compensation Commission, probably has approved greater increases than the politicians would have approved for themselves.

--Jim Sams in the Stockton Record, who detailed the automobile-related expenses of California lawmakers during 1999. Sams noted that the top expense report was filed by "Assemblyman Brett Granlund (who) tried last week to shame his colleagues into supporting a gasoline-tax cut by reminding them that lawmakers fuel up for free, courtesy of California taxpayers." March 24. http://www.recordnet.com/daily/news/articles/2news032400.html

--Dion Nussebaum in the San Jose Mercury News, who reported on a dispute involving a member of the voter-approved commission that sets politicians' salaries. "Andrew Hopwood is one of seven people in this state with the power to raise pay for California's top leaders. A state lawyer, a lawsuit and even a few of his colleagues say what he's doing is illegal. Some say he should resign. But Hopwood -- who cast a pivotal vote in 1998 to raise some salaries by more than 36 percent -- says he isn't going anywhere anytime soon." March 24. http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/commish24.htm

--Spencer Soper in the North County Times, who reported that "The prospects for getting federal help any time soon to put sand on North County's eroded beaches -- or the rest of California -- don't look good. President Clinton's proposed budget for fiscal year 2001 would allocate $52 million for shoreline-protection projects, but not a penny of that is earmarked for California." March 21. http://www.nctimes.com/news/031900/ww.html

--Hallye Jordan in the San Jose Mercury News, who reported on Davis and the trappings of power. "When Gov. Gray Davis enters a crowded room, canned trumpets herald his arrival as he makes his way to the podium, shaking hands and smiling with the poise of the perpetual politician. If people laugh -- or even roll their eyes -- it doesn't appear to bother the state's chief elected official. Davis is flaunting the trappings of power like no governor in recent memory." March 20. http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/front/docs/gov20.htm

While the brief about the sale of The Examiner was of interest to me down here in the dreaded cultural wasteland of Los Angeles, I wondered why the writer failed to mention that one of the unsuccessful bidders was rumored to be Clint Reilly, recent unsuccessful mayoral candidate and somewhat well-known political consultant. It would seem to me to be somewhat relevant that the new owners at least spared all of us the pain of having to have a quasi public asset utilized as a soapbox for crusades, legitimate or not.

Were I a citizen of San Francisco, I think I'd say a little prayer for the new owners, and count myself lucky that they were successful in their acquisition.

As for The Tribune buying The Times, hell, how much worse could it be? Circulation or no, The Times is the only major newspaper in a large city in America that not only does not support its local athletic teams, it tears them down consistently. Same with elected officials, no matter who they may be, and the seemingly constant need to make the news, rather than report it has led to it becoming at best a mediocre news source. All the acquisition can possibly do is improve the quality of the paper, as there isn't much room for it to descend very far. Most folks I know welcome the change. Maybe some new leadership will restore The Times to the former status of high regard, in which it was once held by the community. I, for one, welcome the change and hope that maybe a decent paper will emerge. It would be nice for a change to get the real news from a paper instead of the [Inter]net.

- Sheldon Sloan
Los Angeles, Calif.

To the Editor,

Love your newsletter, been reading it for about two years. You asked for comments on "Clips," here's one. While your new section is informative it could be more complete. At the end of each section (excerpts from different papers), have a link to the complete story. If, as your readers are going through your "Clips" [section], they decide they want more information, this helpful link [would] provide them with the opportunity [to read the full article]. I have seen this in other e-mail publications and it works great.

- Greg Galloway

Thanks for the suggestion, Greg. Enjoy the links beginning in this week's issue. --Ed.

To the Editor,

Yes, I enjoy the "Clips of the Week," especially when corruption makes news as if it were really news. I guess one is supposed to have a look of shock when issues of bribery and corruption surface -- when actually it's only politics as usual which becomes news on a slow day (sigh).

- Valerie Lugo

To the Editor,

Just a quick e-mail to inform you that the inclusion of news blurbs from around the state is very helpful in understanding what is going on in other parts of this colossus of a state.

Landon Miller
Lake Forest, Calif.

To the Editor,

Yes, I like the new "Clips of the Week" section. It gives a bit more of the news in the areas covered along with the who's who of reporters in California. Thanks for adding it to the newsletter.

- Rosanna Boswell

2000 POCKET DIRECTORY OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE ---------------------------------------------- 27th Edition of "the little red book" is now available! Current contact information on each legislator, including photos, committee assignments, Capitol and district office addresses, phone numbers and staff. Separate listings of all Senate and Assembly standing, select, special research, joint and sub committees, with members, staff, phone and room numbers. Don't be without this indispensable directory!

2000 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES VIA EMAIL ---------------------------------- Receive late-breaking changes to the Pocket Directory monthly throughout the year -- via email. To keep your directory up to date, you will be provided with any "information changes" that occur after the February publishing date. In addition to "changes," the updates will include profiles of new members, alerts to new committees and other legislative news items. Easy way to keep your directory current!

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1999-2000 WHO'S WHO IN THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE ------------------------------------------------- 8" x 11" loose-leaf binder of political and personal biographies of all 120 legislators, including each legislator's photo, education, career, campaign issues, legislative interests and accomplishments. Each district information page has exclusively created easy-to-read district and "locator" maps. The Who's Who makes a wonderful legislative yearbook keepsake.

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Open & Public III ----------------- Open & Public II is no longer available -- it is being updated now and will be available in September 2000. For a current guide to public meetings and the Ralph Brown Act, see The Legal Notebook.

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* The Legal Notebook * Navigating the Legislative Process * Conflict of Interest Laws for Local Government Officials * Paper Trails: A Guide to Public Records in California * California Election District Zip Code Directory * Election District Diskette * Mailing Labels on Diskette * Senate, Assembly & Congress District Wall Maps

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