All six of California's statewide elected Democrats have opted out of participating in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order to furlough state workers for two unpaid days each month.
In messages sent to their staff members and letters sent to Schwarzenegger's Department of Personnel, the Democratic officals argued that the furloughs are "unfair," in the words of Secretary of State Debra Bowen and "would impose such a hardship on the backs of our employees," according to state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.
Schwarzenegger's executive order -- which applies to most state workers -- cannot be mandated on the offices of California's other statewide elected officials.
"It's their decision," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "It's our belief that state government should do everything it can to cut spending before asking the taxpayers to shoulder even more of the burden."
The six Democrats -- Bowen, Lockyer, state Controller John Chiang, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, Attorney General Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. John Garamendi -- have all declined to voluntarily implement the furloughs.
"While I fully understand the seriousness of the state's current budget crisis, I do not believe the burden to solve the crisis should fall so inequitably on the shoulders of state employees," O'Connell wrote in a letter sent today to Schwarzenegger's personnel department.
Darrel Ng, a spokesman for the lone statewide elected Republican, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, said Poizner believes the furloughs are "not discretionary" and will comply with the order.
But Schwarzenegger's own office has said the furloughs can't be mandated on other constitutional offices.
Last week, Schwarzenegger ordered state departments to shutter their doors on the first and third Fridays every month through June 2010, saving the state an estimated $1.3 billion over the next 18 months.
Labor unions representing state workers are challenging the governor's furlough plan in court, with a hearing date set for Jan. 29. The furloughs are set to begin statewide on Feb. 6.
The Democratic officials acknowledged the depth of the state's budget woes -- California could begin issuing IOUs within weeks and faces a roughly $40 billion deficit -- but said furloughs are the wrong way to go.
Chiang's chief of staff Collin Wong-Martinusen said in an e-mail to employees in the controller's office that "the Controller's team will play a lead role in navigating the State through the most turbulent fiscal storm seen since the Great Depression. He sees his staff as being part of the solution to the fiscal crisis, not the problem, itself."
Wong-Martinusen said Chiang will "propose alternative cost savings and revenue-generating solutions which will meet -- or even exceed -- those related to furloughing or laying-off (state controller's office) employees."
Other officials promised similar savings. O'Connell said he expected the Department of Education could "achieve (the) necessary savings without using furloughs."
McLear said the administration welcomed any savings the departments would provide. "We don't have control over their budgets," he said. "Everyone operating in state government should be looking at ways to cut back while we're facing this economic crisis."
Photo: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger meets with the Constitutional officers for the first time during a meeting at the State Capitol, Tuesday Feb. 6, 2007. Credit: Sacramento Bee/Brian Baer
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