Posted on 02/29/2008 4:46:27 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday appointed two former aides to well-paying state jobs, less than two weeks after ordering spending cuts to most state agencies.
The state faces a multibillion dollar budget deficit over the next year-and-a-half.
His latest appointments benefited a former speech writer and an assistant to Schwarzenegger's chief of staff.
Jeffrey Danzinger, 47, of Fair Oaks, who was deputy communications director and chief speechwriter for the governor until 2006, is moving from being a member of the Integrated Waste Management Board to serving as an adviser to the board. His pay will be $103,603 in his new role, about $30,000 less than he made as a full board member.
Schwarzenegger also reappointed Rosalie Mule, 50, of Encinitas to the board. She will be paid $132,179 a year. The governor's spokesman said her reappointment was necessary to maintain a quorum because Danzinger's position is remaining open.
Governors traditionally have used the board to reward loyal aides. During his early incarnation as a government reformer, Schwarzenegger proposed getting rid of it to reduce what he said was wasteful state spending.
The other Schwarzenegger aide to receive a state appointment was Karnig Kazarian, 26, of Sacramento, who will become assistant secretary of economic development-special projects for the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. His pay will be $83,064 a year.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear defended the appointments as necessary. He said the governor has reduced his own staff to help achieve the cuts he has ordered state agencies to make and will continue to reduce his staff through attrition.
In addition, Schwarzenegger is requiring cabinet members to justify any new appointments they recommend as necessary to "mission-critical activities."
An executive order the governor issued Feb. 19 requires all state agencies and departments to reduce nonessential spending by at least 1.5 percent to save $100 million by July. The governor said one way to do it was by adopting a hiring freeze.
McLear drew a distinction between appointments to the Integrated Waste Management Board, which is funded through regulatory fees, and those to agencies and departments that are funded by the state's general fund. Schwarzenegger has only ordered cuts in the latter.
McLear said Kazarian's position also is not paid through the general fund, but from special funds from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The governor also appointed Carl Larson, 71, of Folsom, as director of the division of planning, acquisition and design for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His salary is $140,004. Since last year, Larson had been serving as acting director.
The state budget gap has been estimated at $16 billion through June 2009, but state officials maintain the actual number is less than that.
Lawmakers and the governor have approved borrowing to close it by about $5 billion. They also outlined cuts for this year's budget and next year's that, if enacted, would result in another $3 billion in savings.
I hate word problems.
Sounds like the EXTERMINATOR is not exterminating any jobs in California.
Well, he sleeps with, and has produced offspring with, a Kennedy. What the h#ll did we expect?
Can you imagine how powerful he would be if he were a True Conservative?
Oh, nevermind...LOL!
Somebody once asked Boss Tweed about why he appointed his friends to jobs. “Who do you want me to appoint?”, he said. “My enemies?”
Somebody once asked Boss Tweed about why he appointed his friends to jobs. “Who do you want me to appoint?”, he said. “My enemies?”
No wonder we are broke, this Austrian Socialist is an idiot.
Regards
“A paid official to organize unpaid volunteers. Salary? $170,000 a year.”
Now there’s a gig worthy of pursuit, but I probably would have to study under a used car salesman for several years to pull that one off.
“Who do you want me to appoint?”, he said. “My enemies?”
Really. Who da thunk it, Awnold became a politician.
bump
True enough. But you'd think in the spirit of "bipartisanship" he'd reach out to the Republicans once in a while.
Regards
No surprise here in the action of Arnold SchwarzenKennedy.
Were the hell were all of you when this proud, foreign national was running for the highest elected office in California?
Where the hell are all of his FR supporters now? Hiding their faces in shame.
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