Expense Accounts

At a time when county government is slashing programs for the mentally ill and homeless, social service agencies are fuming over recent disclosures that Orange County is spending $750,000 in car allowances for 88 top officials--some of whom are leasing Lincoln Continentals and Town Cars at taxpayer expense.

Re "GOP hopefuls could sidestep tax orthodoxy," May 19 Hooray for the candidates who are willing to stand up to Grover Norquist by refusing to sign his anti-tax pledge. We need more brave souls in the GOP who want to compromise rather than obstruct. As for those Republicans who have already signed the pledge to never vote for tax increases, I challenge you to do your part: refuse to take a government salary, benefits or use expense accounts. Doing so won't cost voters anything if you support a tax increase because you can say you eliminated an expense.

There were sympathetic snickers in some parts of town after City Controller Rick Tuttle scolded Department of Water and Power officials who had tried to dine elegantly on city expense accounts. "Outrageous," Tuttle huffed about a $1,013 lunch for 25. "Unreasonable," he raged recently, denying payment of an $879 dinner tab for 12. But Jeff Wald, for one, wasn't angry. "I laughed when I read about the DWP," says the president of television and management at Barris-Guber-Peters.

Chrysler Financial employees traveling on business can no longer be reimbursed for lunch on trips that don't require an overnight stay. If flying on business, they must travel coach if the flight is less than four hours. Tips to baggage handlers shouldn't exceed $2 per bag. The $4 cost of an in-flight movie? Not reimbursable. The company's new expense rules, posted on its website Friday, are among a handful of policies that have been made public so far as hundreds of companies receiving federal rescue funds scramble to meet a deadline Monday to put in place policies on "excessive or luxury expenditures."

Nine Fresno County Elections division employees are suspected of overbilling the county more than $1,600 in questionable travel expenses, according to a report by the county auditor. "The questionable expenses include excessive mileage claimed, meals claimed for what appears to be earlier-than-necessary departure or later-than-necessary return times and unnecessary car rentals," the report said.

City Council members can no longer charge the city for dry cleaning, baby-sitting or vehicle storage. The council on Tuesday imposed a revised, pared-down reimbursement policy that eliminates all reimbursement except mileage, parking, meals and entertainment expenses directly related to the performance of official city duties. The changes came after criticism from several residents of Mayor Norman Z. Eckenrode's expense reports.

"Is this the best you can do?" Carmichael the contractor said to O'Malley of the water district. "Absolutely," O'Malley said. "How about that table over there by the window?" "You mean the one with the hot dog wrappers and the overturned salt shaker on the table?" a still puzzled Carmichael asked. "Yeah," O'Malley said. "Just brush it off onto the floor. They'll clean it up later." "Good God, there's ketchup on the seat," Carmichael whined. "How about the one in the corner instead?"

County transportation officials moved Tuesday to tighten rules governing expense account meals after learning that the top eight officials at two agencies spent more than $18,000 on taxpayer-funded restaurant tabs last year. Gary L. Hausdorfer, chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority, said he has asked OCTA Chief Executive Officer Stan Oftelie to review all employee expense policies and recommend changes.

Restaurants are feeling an additional bite from the tax laws the year, more than 18 months after Congress cut the business meal deduction from 80% to 50%. Although in effect for all of last year, some travelers didn't recognize the pinch until they filed their income tax returns. Thus many in the restaurant industry are braced for even more aggressive cuts in travel meal budgets.

Paul Revere asked the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pony up 5 shillings a day to compensate for his several weeks in the saddle working to enlist recruits to fight the British. The provisional Massachusetts government agreed to pay 4 shillings instead after such patriots as Sam Adams, John Adams and James Otis signed off on Revere's expense account, according to documents in the state archives.

Forget the fat-cat bankers with their million-dollar pensions. The people who have even the most reserved of Brits spluttering with outrage today are the politicians who ordered the moats on their country estates cleaned and who bought hundreds of sacks of horse manure (presumably for gardening purposes) -- and tried to charge taxpayers for it. It's all part of a snowballing scandal in Britain that is fast leaving promising political careers in tatters.

As ailing Wachovia Corp. waits to see whether it will be acquired by Wells Fargo & Co. or Citigroup Inc. -- possibly with taxpayers paying the tab for hundreds of billions of dollars in bad loans -- some of the company's top brokers are preparing to depart Saturday for an all-expenses-paid cruise of the Greek Isles. The weeklong trip for up to 75 employees of brokerage A.G.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a per diem allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. Her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife. Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by the Washington Post.

SACRAMENTO -- Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez offered some explanation Friday for a few campaign fund expenditures in Europe, but refused to elaborate on how tens of thousands of dollars of other purchases were related to governmental or political business. "Every expenditure I made has been totally legitimate," the Los Angeles Democrat said at a Capitol news conference.

SACRAMENTO -- As leader of the California Assembly, Speaker Fabian Nunez has traveled the world in luxury, paying with campaign funds for visits to some of the finest hotels and restaurants and for purchases at high-end retailers such as Louis Vuitton in Paris. It is not clear how these activities have related to legislative business, as state law requires, because the Los Angeles Democrat refuses to provide details on tens of thousands of dollars in such expenditures.

The state judicial commission announced Wednesday that it is investigating allegations that Orange County Superior Court Judge Kelly W. MacEachern filed false and misleading expense claims for a legal conference in San Diego. MacEachern, a former prosecutor elected to serve on the bench in 2003, could be removed from her seat, censured or admonished if the Commission on Judicial Performance determines she lied about her participation in courses during last year's conference.

Concerned that city lobbyists are spending too much public money entertaining officials during out-of-town trips, Los Angeles City Controller Rick Tuttle on Monday launched a review of dinner tabs and hotel charges. The financial inquiry will review expenses charged by city lobbyists in Washington, and will incorporate an ongoing review of costs incurred in Tokyo by the trade representative for the city Harbor Department, Tuttle said.

City Council members are proposing to increase their own expense accounts, travel allowances and base salaries. The increased expenditures would more than double their monthly pay and benefits package, city officials say. The council voted Monday to designate themselves members of a newly created Community Development Commission.

ALMOST NOBODY, until this week, said a bad word about the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. A darling of royalty and rock stars, it has been seen as one of the world's most effective and important anti-poverty organizations, raising billions of dollars to fight deadly diseases in poor countries.

David L. Brewer, the retired Navy vice admiral selected to become Los Angeles' next education chief, agreed Monday to a four-year contract that will pay him $300,000 per year. The agreement, which has been signed by school board President Marlene Canter and is expected to be ratified today by a majority of the seven-member board, also provides Brewer with a $3,000 monthly housing allowance, a $45,000 annual expense account, an automobile and an extensive benefits package.