"The Office of Planning and Research ought to be about planning and research to come up with great policy answers, which this office doesn't do," he said.
The budget committee also looked at a waste board stocked with former lawmakers earning six-figure salaries, something the governor had demanded in his speech to a joint legislative session Tuesday. But instead of eliminating it as Schwarzenegger requested, Democrats proposed to make it more powerful while also trimming the salaries.
They moved to enhance the Integrated Waste Management Board's authority by giving it control over substantial environmental operations now handled by the administration. But the proposal, which proponents said could save the state up to $3 million, stalled when GOP committee members asked that it be studied further.
McLear said the administration "is thrilled the committee is joining the governor in looking at ways to make the government run more efficiently and cost effectively. . . . We look forward to having a debate with the Legislature in the coming days over how to make government run more efficiently."
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evan.halper@latimes.com
shane.goldmacher@latimes.com
Times staff writers Howard Blume and Michael Rothfeld contributed to this report.
