SACRAMENTO, March 23 (UPI) -- A California state senator who lives near Sacramento has been taking tax-free per diem payments intended for those who reside farther from the state capital.
State Sen. Tom McClintock -- a Republican and a leading hawk on limited spending and taxation -- has received more than $300,000 in per diem money since his election to the assembly in 1996, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. McClintock argues that claiming the $170 daily payments during the legislative session does not contradict his advocacy of cutting government spending since he is legally entitled to the money.
McClintock owns a house in Elk Grove, a Sacramento suburb, and lives there year-round with his wife and children. But his legal address is in his district, a house in Thousand Oaks near Los Angeles occupied by his mother and owned by a family trust.
The payments become an issue when McClintock seeks higher office. He is running for a congressional seat in Northern California.
"For 30 years, Tom McClintock has railed against government spending while living well at taxpayer expense," said Todd Stenhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic congressional candidate, Charlie Brown, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
