With California losing $1.6 million an hour, the governor engaged in a photo op on Monday.
Standing in front of the Interstate 405 freeway in Southern California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about "the devastating consequences of legislators' failure to take action" on a budget, slowing more than 2,000 public works projects.
The governor is right that inaction has prevented the state from selling public works bonds. But he misleads in placing all responsibility on lawmakers. Democrats sent him a budget deal last week, and he rejected it for flimsy reasons.
In denouncing the package, Schwarzenegger said it failed to include adequate provisions for "public-private partnerships." He then claimed, in e-mails to reporters, that the Legislature's failure to support these provisions was preventing the construction of at least seven major highway projects, costing 280,000 jobs.
We checked into this claim and found it to be deceptive.
Consider one local project on the governor's list – the Placer Parkway, a planned four-lane highway that would connect Highway 65 with Highway 99 near the Sacramento International Airport.
Placer officials have been planning this highway for years, but are still years away from launching it. A final environmental report hasn't been prepared. Officials have identified only $110 million in available funds to cover the project's $670 million cost.
While California may need to loosen restrictions on public-private partnerships, the governor is overstating their benefits in the near term. And he is doing so at the cost of securing a budget solution now – a big step toward selling bonds and getting more people back to work.
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