California Faultline

The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday that State Senator Tom McClintock has accepted over $300,000 to pay for on a house he owns in the are he represents, Thousand Oaks, although he lives full time with his family in Sacramento.

There is nothing illegal about this - state senators are all given this money to make it easier for them to commute between their home districts in the state capital. Many politicians will commute to Sacramento during the week, and return home on weekends and during recesses.

The state elections code requires legislators to maintain a residence in their district, and presumes that a senator is “domiciled” where he or she is registered to vote, said Lance Olson, an attorney with expertise in government and political law.

The Times is critical of McClintock’s acceptance of this practice especially during the state’s budget crisis, as McClintock isn’t “domiciled” in Thousand Oaks by human standards.

While the Times focuses on the money issue, what isn’t addressed is how McClintock can truly be in touch with the community he represents if he doesn’t live there. And now, McClintock is running for Congress… to represent the 4th District, a portion of Northeast California. Yet another community where he isn’t domiciled.

Of course, this sort of thing is common in politics. But I get the feeling that if career politicians perhaps spent more time actually living in and getting in touch with the communities they represent, they’d appreciate more about where and how tax dollars were spent, and then maybe we wouldn’t be in such a fiscal crisis.

Remember how your parents used to always yell at you to not sit so close to the TV so you don’t go blind, to wash your hands before dinner to keep from getting cooties, to turn down the thermostat so you don’t cause a brownout, and not to use the fireplace so you don’t add to air pollution?

Well, unfortunately, you now have glasses and are probably, right now, less than two feet from the screen as you read this. And, well, the cooties are your business. But the air conditioning and fireplace reminders? No worries! Big Brother Cali is here to babysit you.

If you live in the Inland Empire or San Gabriel Valley (and other SoCal) areas that experience undue amounts of smog) you should note that the South Coast Air Quality Management District  voted last week “to impose fines on homeowners who burn wood in fireplaces on high-pollution days during winter months” with fines as high as $500 per violation. Neighbors are encouraged to report smokey neighbors as well. [h/t Apartment Therapy LA]

And don’t worry about freezing to death on a hot summer night just because you left the air conditioning on: The California Energy Commission is trying to mandate remote controlled thermostats in every new home or building so that a government agency could turn down the temp during peak energy times. However, State Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, drafted legislation that would make this sort of action illegal. [Patterico's Pontifications]