TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY REPORT: STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES WASTE NEEDED DOLLARS LOBBYING FOR MORE FUNDS.

Byline: Lisa Friedman and Troy Anderson Staff Writers

WASHINGTON - California's financially strapped state and local agencies spent $92 million over the past six years lobbying Congress for federal money, a report released Friday said.

And states, local governments and universities accounted for nearly $600 million of the $13 billion spent since 1998 by public and private entities to lobby the federal government, according to the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California spent $8.5 million - the most of any public agency in the nation. Los Angeles County spent $5.8 million, more than all but five public agencies in the country.

``I find it distasteful, not to mention expensive,'' county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. ``The government should not have to spend money to hire lobbyists to lobby another level of government.

``The problem for us has been, however, that other government agencies around the country have hired lobbyists and it's become apparent to everybody involved that we were either going to have to play the game or be at a distinct disadvantage in obtaining federal funding.''

Tim Ransdell, director of the California Institute, a Washington, D.C.- based think tank, said California gets back only 81 cents for each dollar it sends to Washington in federal taxes.

``The fact that California has been a donor state for 20 years perhaps makes it more important that Californians be back here trying to push for its fair share of federal money,'' Ransdell said.

Local government officials said the money they spent is critical to ensuring the public gets its fair share of federal dollars.

MWD spokesman Bob Muir said the agency used lobbyists to help thwart last-minute attempts to shift to Southern Californians the added costs of water transfers between Imperial and San Diego counties and to remove uranium tailings in Utah near the Colorado River, part of Southern California's water supply.

``Generally, it's done to seek federal support to protect water quality and supply reliability and contain water rates for 18 million ratepayers in our six-county service area,'' Muir said.

The city of Los Angeles spent $460,000 to lobby for homeland security money, gang reduction and after-school programs, officials said. In addition, the city's airports department - Los Angeles World Airports - spent $540,000 and the Port of Los Angeles spent $500,000.

Reginald Todd, chief legislative representative of the county, said having an office in Washington was critical to preventing dramatic cuts in Medicaid. The county also fought to obtain about $100 million in anti-terrorism funding and to secure $7.3 million to maintain Marina del Rey and to pay for technology upgrades for the county's crime labs.

Watchdog groups criticized the spending of taxpayer money to get taxpayer money, calling it a waste - but also a necessary evil.

``It's the way the system works,'' said Roberta Baskin, executive director of the Center for Public Integrity. ``If they don't compete, they don't bring back tax dollars.''

From 1998 to 2003, local government spending on lobbyists increased about 110 percent nationwide. Spending by universities doubled in that time.

Keith Ashdown, spokesman for Citizens Against Government Waste, said local governments have no choice but to spend money to get money.

``The system is broken,'' he said. ``It's the best democracy money can buy.''

Among nongovernment agencies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce topped the list, spending $193.5 million.

California-based companies spent $862.3 million, with Northrop Grumman Corp. the overall leader at $92.9 million. The Walt Disney Co. spent $24.2 million.

The report also found that special interests and other entities hired more than 2,200 former federal government officials as lobbyists to influence policy on everything from abortion and adoption to taxation and welfare.

Lisa Friedman, [phone]

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

PAYING FOR ACCESS