Who pays for state legislator's cars? You do

Suppose you work for a business that lets you drive a company car. But your spouse decides to take it for a spin and crashes into a pole in the driveway. Who should pay for the damage? Edwin Garcia in the Daily News.

If the "business" is the California Legislature - and if you're one of the 80 lawmakers elected to the Assembly - it's taxpayers who foot the bill.

In addition to a car of their choosing, Assembly members get a benefit that pays to fix any damage to the vehicle - no matter who is driving and whether it's being used for official business.

That policy is one reason taxpayers have forked over more than $300,000 in the past five years to repair Assembly members' vehicles, according to a San Jose Mercury News review of public documents.