CA: Governor's office seeks 'autopilot' raise (Gub has argued against such increases elsewhere)

SFGate.com ^ | 2/24/06 | Greg Lucas

[NormsRevenge]

Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has repeatedly railed against "autopilot" government spending, wants the budget for his office increased automatically each year.

The Republican governor's spending plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1 proposes automatically boosting the office's $18.4 million budget by nearly $1 million starting in July 2007. The automatic increase would allow the governor's office budget to climb without having to publicly demonstrate need.

A spokesman for the governor argued that the Legislature's request is not autopilot spending, but rather a cap that limits spending. Trial judges and the Legislature both get the annual increase, said Schwarzenegger spokesman Vince Sollitto.

"The governor is applying the same strictures of the Legislature's budgeting process to his co-equal branch," he said.

The Legislative Analyst's Office, in its review of the governor's budget, doesn't see it that way.

"Like other state departments, the Governor's Office should propose spending increases based on staff workload. The administration has offered no evidence that current staffing ... is inadequate," wrote Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill in urging lawmakers to reject Schwarzenegger's proposal.

"We see no reason to put more of the state's budget on autopilot spending," Hill wrote, echoing the oft-heard phrase the governor used, trying to persuade voters to back Proposition 76, his budget-balancing initiative on the November 2005 ballot.

Voters rejected the proposition by a 3-to-2 margin.

In his 2006 State of the State speech in January, Schwarzenegger said, "Autopilot spending will fly us into the ground, not into the future."

[hschliemann]

All elected officials at every level of government should be willing to work for no pay,real pubklic service.