SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- More than a dozen state lawmakers have missed much of the special legislative session called to tackle the state's fiscal mess, instead traveling to India, China and Hawaii to learn about education, high-speed rail and dams.The legislators include Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, and several Assembly Budget Committee members who missed a hearing on the crisis on Friday. At least two of the lawmakers are not expected to return by Sunday's planned floor sessions of the Senate and the Assembly, their staff members said."Obviously, they're not taking the problem (the state's budget mess) as seriously as the rest of us," said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media at Sacramento State University. "It's an acute financial situation for the state. I wouldn't be out of the country when I'm supposed to be solving this problem."Taking such trips while the state is in need of a major fiscal fix only exacerbates the Legislature's already weak approval ratings, said Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause, a government watchdog group.Two months ago, the Field Poll reported that only 15 percent of the state's voters were pleased with the job state lawmakers were doing, the lowest mark the poll has ever recorded."There's a feeling amongst the voters that the Legislature is too often on vacation, either literally in this case or figuratively in that they've 'checked out' from being involved in important policy decisions," Feng said.The state's budget crisis has been the biggest issue at the Capitol for the past year. Two days after the Nov. 4 general election, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the special legislative session to bridge a revenue shortfall that he estimated could grow to $24 billion in the next two years.Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, decided to allow his members to go on their planned trips because budget negotiations are being handled by legislative leaders, said his spokeswoman Alicia Trost, adding that Perata would require them to return for a floor vote."These trips are important in maintaining relationships," Trost said. "Other countries send delegations to California all the time, and it would be respectful for us to also send a delegation."The trips are sponsored primarily by nonprofit organizations that are often funded in part by special interest groups. No taxpayer funds are used to pay for the trips, and lawmakers typically use their campaign money to pay their way.The two-week jaunt through India for eight state senators was sponsored by the California International Relations Foundation, a nonprofit tied to the state Senate.The attendees are: Ducheny, Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro; Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles; Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles; Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks (Sacramento County); Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine; Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica; and Sen. Bob Margett, R-Arcadia (Los Angeles County). The goal of the trip is to promote cultural, economic and political relations. Among other things, the senators were scheduled to observe India's education system and its burgeoning high-tech industry. Ducheny started making arrangements for the trip six months ago and booked nonrefundable hotels, said John Ferrera, her chief of staff. She has been in daily communication with her staff and Perata's office about the budget negotiations, he added."As far as our office is concerned, she is no less engaged in the process than if she were in her San Diego office," he said.While the India trip is scheduled to end Nov. 26, staffers of the attending senators said they expect the lawmakers to return in time for Sunday's floor session.The trip to China was coordinated in part by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco. Attendees include Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch; Assemblyman Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County); Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto; Assemblywoman Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield; and Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia (San Bernardino County).The trip was scheduled between Nov. 8 and Thursday, which resulted in Huff and Fuller, members of the Assembly Budget Committee, missing an informational hearing Friday on the state's budget crisis."Unfortunately, we were given a short notice on the hearing," said Jennifer Franklin, director of Fuller's Capitol office. "The hearing was informational. No public testimony was given, no votes were taken. She will be briefed, and I expect her to be back in Sacramento on Sunday for the floor session."E-mail Matthew Yi of the San Francisco Chronicle at myi(at)sfchronicle.com.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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