Off Beat: Golden image comes and goes

With all the budget problems facing California, it's no surprise that the state's image as "golden" has taken a battering.

The bad news is everywhere, from the New York Times on down.

So is this the end of the California Dream, as it's called?

Probably not. The state has had its share of hard times in the last 30 years, lurching, it seems from one budget crisis to another.

On-time budgets at the state level are unheard of, and there seems to be no chance things will change any time soon. Cutting off legislators' pay when the budget is late never seems to gain any traction in Sacramento.

Many of these problems can be traced to Proposition 13, which seemed like a good idea at the time for California homeowners and turned into an even better deal for commercial property owners.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Associations says Prop. 13 has saved "California taxpayers" $528 billion since it passed in the late 1970s.

Obviously, that money, or at least part of it, could have done a lot to ease the state's budget woes.

But money in becomes money out in California, where spending is the thing for the legislators. They want to provide services because a lot of people in California need it — this isn't Alabama — and that costs a lot of money. It also ensures a lot of votes for them.

But the people who pay the freight seem to be the ones who are more likely to vote, and they don't think much of excessive spending.

So it appears it's going to get worse before it gets better. The population will grow, the demand for services will increase and the need for more money will increase, but it won't be there unless there's a magical uptick in the economy in a hurry.

Cal Water calling

Marysville customers of California Water Service Co. were probably just a bit taken aback at the company's rate requests to the California Public Utilities Commission.

The company is seeking a rate boost of up to $23 per month by 2013.

Cal Water said it needed the increases to cover the highest costs of providing service.

Since they want more money from you, let's see how much money they get, specifically the corporate executives.

According to Cal Water's recent proxy statement, President Peter Nelson's total compensation package was about $3.3 million in 2008.

Vice President-Corporate Development Francis Ferraro came in at $1.5 million.

Vice President-Operations Robert Guzetta was just under $1 million, at about $984,000.

And they're all in line for salary increases in 2009. Nelson, whose 2008 salary was $791,523, will be at $875,000 this year.

Makes you feel good to be a part of that, doesn't it?

Harold Kruger is a veteran reporter and copy editor for the Appeal-Democrat. His column, "Off Beat," appears Sundays. He can be reached at 749-4717, or e-mail him at hkruger@ appealdemocrat.com