Lori Saldaña's Honda Accord got crunched in a San Jose crash

San Diego — The San Jose Mercury News reported last week that Democratic assemblywoman Lori Saldaña's 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid, owned by the state, got crunched in a "chain-reaction crash" here on December 2, 2005. That earned her first place on the paper's list of state lawmakers' auto damage claims. The repair tab was $12,199. Second on the list was fellow Democrat Jerome Horton, who was a member of the assembly back in January of last year, when he failed to yield when turning right on a red light and hit another car. Damages: $11,808. The grand total assembly accident fix-it bill for five years was more than $300,000. But in a subsequent clarification, the paper noted it couldn't obtain records saying how much of the damages were covered by the state and how much by insurance companies of other drivers involved in the crashes... Speaking of cars, the office of San Diego County district attorney Bonnie Dumanis has 255 of them, according to a list it recently released in response to a request under the state's Public Records Act. Prices range from $15,113.63 for a 2006 four-door sedan all the way up to $45,127.83 for a 1999 van especially equipped for transporting handicapped persons. There also are three 2006 sport utility hybrids ranging from $37,697 to $39,598; a 2007 four-door sedan at $36,466; and a 2005 pickup costing $31,715.53. Grand total for the fleet: $6,295,797.85. The office declined to provide more detailed information about the cars or say who is driving what, citing security concerns.