Assembly Must Open Secret Budget

The leadership in the California Assembly seems to think it’s the Supreme Soviet, the legislative body of the old Soviet Union. It’s not.

The Assembly represents the people of California. And the people have the right to know what’s going on there, including with the Assembly’s budget. Yet, reported the Bee:

The California Assembly says the public has no right to see lawmakers’ current office budgets and spending projections, documents that could show whether punishment is doled out for key votes.

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino raised the issue last month, saying that his budget was slashed shortly after casting the lone Democratic vote in the Assembly against this year’s controversial budget.

A secret Assembly budget is a corrupt Assembly budget. If the Assembly won’t release the numbers, then a lawsuit forcing them to do so is in order.

And if that doesn’t work, then an initiative will have to be started.

This also shows the arrogance of a one-party state. Now that Republicans are almost completely irrelevant, Democrats can run even more amok.

Is there nothing so low that the California Legislature won’t stoop to do it?

August 2, 2011