Calif. lawmakers keep vehicle perk ($55,000 Cadillac sedan and a $52,000 Lexus hybrid, etc)

[The Straight Story]

Calif. lawmakers keep vehicle perk

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California lawmakers enjoy a perk that seems like a luxurious amenity in a state that has been slashing billions of dollars from its budget: taxpayer-provided cars.

The state purchases cars for lawmakers to drive around their districts and the capital under a decades-old program, spending more than $5 million for the latest suite of vehicles that includes a $55,000 Cadillac sedan and a $52,000 Lexus hybrid.

Lawmakers are enjoying the benefit at a time when the state is in a financial mess and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called legislators into a special session next week to address a $6 billion deficit. Lawmakers already have cut programs such as adult dental care and health care programs for children from low-income families, and more cuts are likely on the way.

California is the only state in the nation to provide vehicles to its rank-and-file lawmakers for unlimited use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Associated Press sought information about lawmakers' vehicles and the cost to taxpayers as part of an ongoing examination of California legislative records and spending. The record-keeping officers of the Assembly and Senate supplied the information in response to a formal request.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101203/ap_on_re_us/us_california_legislative_vehicles