M E M O R A N D U M

Date: April 11, 2005

To: Capitol Media

From: Dan Carson

Subject: Eighth Annual Analysis Quiz

We have a winner for our eighth annual contest to test just how closely the members of the news media are reading our Analysis and Perspectives and Issues books—Lynda Gledhill of the San Francisco Chronicle Sacramento Bureau. Lynda is the winner, as promised, of Krispy Kreme doughnuts (not purchased at taxpayer expense). It’s not the Pulitzer Prize, but it is more edible.

To find the correct answer, click on the question:

1.  The budget proposes to purchase firefighting helicopters to replace 11 choppers it received free from the federal government’s “surplus” fleet. How much does the administration estimate the new helicopters will cost?

2.  Our analysis indicates that the cost of “float” to the state under a proposed new state program could be tens of millions of dollars. What do we mean by the term float?

3. Which of the following products is subject to a pesticide mill assessment when it is sold in California?

4. States and the federal government can sometimes transfer foreign inmates back to their country of origin. The state has about 6,500 inmates eligible for transfer now. Over the past three years, the federal prison system has transferred 857 foreign inmates. With an inmate population of roughly the same size as the federal system, how many foreign inmates has California transferred from its prisons during the same period?

5. Which of the following phrases is not referenced in our analysis of how the new Medicare Part D drug law will affect the state?

6.  The administration proposes to modify an open meetings law to reduce the more than $15 million a year cost of this state mandate on local government to $2 million in 2005-06. How does the administration propose to achieve these savings?

7.  The budget asks for additional funding for CalTrans to maintain storm water treatment structures. Based on a survey of four of the 12 CalTrans districts, the budget plan assumes CalTrans has 487 such structures. Based on a later survey of seven CalTrans districts, how many structures does CalTrans have to maintain statewide?

8.  Which situation does LAO describe in the 2005-06 Analysis as being a “vicious circle” that will continue absent a chance in state policy?

9.  The budget proposes to spend $829 million in the budget year to continue the construction of various state college and university buildings. Competing all of these projects would cost an additional $419 million in future years. How much state bond money is available to finish the job?

10.  The budget plan would fund a new “state gaming testing lab.”  What would such a lab do?

11.  The Legislature authorized nine additional staff in 2003-04 for the Department of Health Services (DHS) to monitor the way counties are complying with certain Medi-Cal eligibility rules. The Governor's 2005-06 budget proposal seeks 2.5 state positions and funding for a contractor for DHS to perform similar tasks. Why?

12.  The state education system is currently not spending all of the federal money it is allotted for before and after school care for disadvantaged K-12 students. How much unspent federal money does the LAO estimate could revert to the federal government by September 2006?

13. The state has been fighting Medfly infestations for 30 years. The budget includes about $16 million in state and federal funds to combat the fly. What is the money used for?


Return to LAO Home Page