As the leaders of the Democratic and Republican Party continue to negotiate to close the now $26 billion gap in the California State Budget — or as Democrat Assembly Leader Karen Bass refuses to go to meetings and play the blame game instead — it becomes more and more apparent that Democrats have no interest in responsible government.  The most recent example is there insistence that even though they are looking to save $26 billion dollars and have cut back $2.8 million in funding to Los Angeles’ Exposition Park’s operating budget, they continue to fund a $2 million expansion to the park.

Exposition Park is a collection of publicly owned lands, including the LA Colosseum, California Science Center and the California African American Museum.  Prior to the recent budget problems in the State, the park received a $2.8 million in a fund called the Exposition Park Improvement Fund in order to maintain its operations.  It also had obtained another $2 million to expand the California Science Center.

Since the recent round of cuts proposed to the California Budget, ABX3 46 — a bill authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Noreen Evans — has emerged.  It is not a single bill, but rather a complex conglomerate designed to bury the details of many budget proposals in the fine print.  In section 27, the following language is found:

(27) Existing law creates the Exposition Park Improvement Fund and requires that all revenues received by the California Science Center for the provision of certain services are deposited into that fund. Under existing law, the moneys in the Exposition Park Improvement Fund may only be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for improvements to Exposition Park, as specified.

This bill would authorize up to $2,800,000 dollars to be transferred from the Exposition Park Improvement Fund into the General Fund for the 2009-10 fiscal year, as specified.

At first glance, one might be happy to see Democrats cutting funding to a public agency.  What the naked eye fails to see is that the $2 million for the Science Center Expansion was not removed.  The Democrats took away the operating budget for the organization — expecting them to operate off of the Science Center ticket sales and LA Colosseum Parking Fees alone — but gave the green light to the $2 million dollar expansion.

This is another clear cut example of a lack of common sense existing in the Democratic Party — specifically in regard to Democratic Member of the Assembly Budget Committee Noreen Evans.  These “leaders” in Sacramento are effectively legislating how the operations of Exposition Park are to run and expanding the size of a Los Angeles based State Bureaucracy simultaneously.  By giving them only $2 million with the stipulation that it only be used for the expansion of the Science Center Democrats have forced the hand of management in how to spend their underfunded budget.  Rather than delay new construction and meet today’s financial needs — as a reasonable manager would do — the order has been passed down from Noreen Evans to keep building and raise the prices on tickets.  This is a textbook example of tax-and-spend liberalism.

Democrats in Sacramento need to understand that maintaining operations of Exposition Park are more important than expanding it.  Now is not the time for Government Facilities to be expanding.  At least USC fans will know who to blame when parking ticket costs for the Colosseum increase $50 next year.

Thank You Noreen Evans.

Bonus: See the following clip of Noreen Evans from the Assembly Budget Committee