The Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that several top members of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration charged taxpayers thousands in airfare, hotel and meal costs with little oversight.
From the Times:
John Cruz, the appointments secretary for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, lives hundreds of miles from the state Capitol, where his staff scrutinizes candidates for California's many boards and commissions.
When Cruz works there, he goes by plane. He has charged taxpayers for his flights and for hotel bills of up to $382 a night on regular trips between his Orange County home and Sacramento, records showCarrie Lopez, director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, charged taxpayers to fly from Sacramento, where she works, to Los Angeles, where she lives, to attend a Justin Timberlake concert with her daughter. She listed the trip on her expense report as a meeting with the energy company that paid for the concert tickets. Lopez also billed the state for meals on days she received those meals for free from corporations, according to state records.
Rosario Marin, head of the State and Consumer Services Agency, blamed a miscommunication for her failure to repay $582 the state spent to fly her to Washington in July to speak at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, an appearance for which she received $1,000. She reimbursed the state for the airfare after The Times inquired about the trip last month.
Over the last two years, as California has slashed services and scrambled to pay bills, top administration officials have made free use of government expense accounts with little oversight and, in some cases, no documentation, The Times has found.
...
(Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron) McLear said after Times inquiries that the governor's new Cabinet secretary, Victoria Bradshaw, would take over the task of reviewing travel expenses.A minimal number of officials travel extensively, McLear said, adding that despite their travel, the governor's office has cut its budget and staff over the last year.
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