The Buzz
Here's some sunny news in a stormy economy: Legislators are getting more money! The Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board boosted lawmakers' tax-free per diem Thursday from $170 to $173, or about $600 a year for each of the 120 solons. The board had no choice. State law requires expense dough for legislators to be no lower than the per-day rate paid federal workers traveling to the Sacto area.
WORTH REPEATING
"By the time she is sworn in, I think she will be ready."
– Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, explaining at a women's conference this week that he thinks GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will learn enough between now and Inauguration Day (Jan. 20) to be qualified to take over as president.
CALIFORNIA BY THE NUMBERS
A new Census Bureau study reveals that California's 1.83 million state and local government employees represent the sixth-lowest ratio to population among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The state is second-lowest in the ratio of state employees alone, according to an analysis by the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy. California's state-local payroll is $9.5 billion a month.
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