California governor concerned about changes to DHS grant program
Schwarzenegger asks Homeland Security to recalculate security risks for Sacramento and San Diego.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday expressed his dissatisfaction with the new risk-based grant program of the Homeland Security Department.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Schwarzenegger said he is concerned that under the system, Sacramento and San Diego in his state are only eligible to receive sustaining funds, and they could lose funding entirely next year.
He requested that Homeland Security officials recalculate the risk of terrorism for those regions.
He said the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon are proof that San Diego's military assets are not a fool-proof deterrent for terrorist activity and warned that military installations abroad consistently have been targeted by terrorists.
Schwarzenegger also said he is disappointed that state and local governments were not consulted on the formula changes to the grant program or asked to verify the data that prompted them.