California panel slashes funds for legislator vehicles

◼ California panel slashes funds for legislator vehicles - Press Democrat

With the state in a budget crisis, a government panel voted Thursday to end the decades-old practice of providing taxpayer-financed vehicles for Senate and Assembly members who want them, along with insurance, repairs and unlimited gasoline, all on the public tab.

The new deal: Get around in your own car. Starting in December, the state will give legislators a flat, $300-a-month payment to offset gas, insurance and other expenses, more than cutting in half the annual cost to taxpayers to keep lawmakers on the road.

The Citizens Compensation Commission, voting 5-0 with one abstention, sent a clear signal that it was time for legislators to surrender a luxury in a state where a car is often a necessity — and a status statement.

◼ Evans: $300 monthly car stipend too little - Press Democrat

No sooner had a state commission voted to take away her taxpayer-financed vehicle, replacing it with a flat $300-a-month payment for driving her own car, than state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, was on Twitter complaining about the raw deal.