Ashburn: Show me the money's destination
| Tuesday, Jun 23 2009 05:48 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Jun 23 2009 05:48 PM
ASHBURN: NO ANSWER? NO CUT
Roy Ashburn won't agree to a pay cut -- yet.
"The question I have asked is: Where does the money go?" said Ashburn, Bakersfield's Republican state senator.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ashburn was one of just three state senators (of 40 total) who hadn't volunteered for a 5 percent cut, a tally by The Sacramento Bee showed.
Ashburn said he hasn't been told whether the sacrificed pay goes to the general fund -- the focus of California's budget drama -- or to the Senate's operating budget.
"I will not turn over more money for the majority party," he said, when the Democrats "refuse to cut spending to balance the state general fund."
Bakersfield's other state lawmakers -- Sen. Dean Florez, a Democrat, and Republican Assemblymembers Jean Fuller and Danny Gilmore -- have volunteered for pay reductions.
