State Budget Analysis Available Online

(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2004 California Piglet Book, a compilation of state budget waste, in conjunction with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation (HJTF).  The 2004 California Piglet identifies $12.9 billion in wasteful, unnecessary, and duplicative spending. 

“With a budget deficit of $15 billion and the highest tax rates in the nation, California needs to balance the budget without raising taxes,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said.  “The 2004 California Piglet Book reveals hundreds of areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated without affecting essential services.”

The 2004 California Piglet Book expands on the first California Piglet Book released in 2003, which urged elected officials to put government waste at the top of their agenda.  In his first year in office, Governor Schwarzenegger established the California Performance Review (CPR) in order to restructure, reorganize, and reform state government to make it more accountable to the taxpayers of California.  With the recommended changes from the CPR report in place, the state could save $5.1 billion taxpayer dollars.

“The 2004 California Piglet Book builds on the momentum created by the CPR to solve the state’s budget crisis.  Fiscal conservatives are gaining ground against the status quo in the legislature, and California Piglet Books help sort out the mess left by former Governor Gray Davis.”

Piglet Books combine elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, both published annually and dealing with federal government pork and waste.  As part of its on-going examination of waste at every level of government, CAGW has targeted California for a second year in its Piglet Book series for the state’s poor fiscal track record and the raging debate over how to solve its fiscal crisis.

“Organizations such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation serve an important purpose by educating the public, the media, Governor Schwarzenegger, and legislators about wasteful spending,” Schatz concluded.  “Elected officials should scrutinize these expenditures to ensure that every tax dollar is accounted for and follow up to make sure the waste is eliminated.”

The California Piglet Books are available on CAGW’s website:  http://www.cagw.org

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.