EDITORIAL SPECIAL-INTEREST TRIUMPH POLITICS KILL EFFORT TO SAVE TAXPAYER MONEY.

A good idea was recently proposed in Sacramento, one that would save taxpayers millions and help speed up critical public-works projects.Not surprisingly, the state Legislature has effectively killed it.

Last week, the Assembly Transportation Committee voted to postpone indefinitely a vote on a bill that would have authorized the state to use the design-build process for state highway projects.

Under design-build, private companies that do construction for Caltrans would also be allowed to do the designing - saving time and money by bypassing state engineers.

But the engineers' union, naturally, opposed the measure. And the Legislature's Democrats take their orders from the unions. So the committee voted to bury the bill, which would have lost in a straight up-or-down vote.

It's another victory for the special interests, and another defeat for the state's residents. Once again, the Legislature has chosen its contributors over the voters - something to keep in mind next time you're at the polls.