To the victor go the spoils, apparently.
Holding a firm majority in the Assembly, Democrats' cadre of office and committee staff exceeds Republicans' by a higher percentage than the number of legislative seats that each party controls, records show.
Democrats hold 65 percent of the Assembly's seats - 52 of 80 -- but they control 77 percent of the employees tied to Assembly offices or committees, according to a computer sort of the Assembly staff roster.
Cumulatively, Democrats' committee and office staffing costs total $3.1 million per month, compared to Republicans' $664,116 - roughly 82 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
The computer sort was released by the office of Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, from data dated May 31 that is posted by the Assembly on its website for public review.
Spending was more proportional in monthly staffing costs for the Democratic and Republican caucuses, representing employees charged with serving all members of a particular party rather than one lawmaker or committee.
The Democratic Caucus had 129 aides costing $824,593 per month, while the Republican Caucus had 64 aides costing $411,366. The proportion of salary costs was 67 percent and 33 percent, respectively.
Jon Waldie, Assembly administrator, declined to comment on the statistics pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by The Bee and Los Angeles Times in an attempt to force disclosure of other current expenditures.
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