(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation (HJTF) today released the sixth annual California Piglet Book, the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government.  This year’s Piglet features a special, in-depth report on the proposed high-speed rail project.     

Here are some examples of waste, fraud and abuse listed in the 2008 California Piglet Book:

●          The proposed high-speed rail project, which will appear as Proposition 1A on the November

ballot, is a bullet train to bankruptcy.  If voters approve the project’s initial $9.95 billion down payment, promoters will likely need to come back to taxpayers for another $70 billion to complete the project.

●          Four upper-level administrators of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department have received

fully loaded Dodge Charger trucks valued between $32,000-$35,000.  The trucks came equipped with powerful V-8 “Hemi” engines, which added at least $10,000 to the price, and could be used for “take-home” purposes.

●          The Bureau of State Audits found that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wasted $1 million to buy 51 vans, then used all but five sparingly over the course of two years.  An audit found that most of the vans sat idle, parked outside on CHP property.

“Taxpayers in California need to put their collective foot down on the big spenders in Sacramento and demand better governance through fiscal discipline,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “The 2008 California Piglet Book is only the beginning.  In particular, killing the High Speed Rail boondoggle would show that California is serious about reform.”

The 2008 California Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, with HJTF’s knowledge of the California state budget.  The report exposes areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and taxpayers.

The report is available online at www.cagw.org and www.hjta.org.  For answers to further questions, to schedule an interview, or to order a hard copy, please contact Leslie K. Paige (202-467-5334, lpaige@cagw.org) or David Wolfe (?) (916-444-9950, david@hjta.org). 

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation is dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and promoting taxpayers' rights.