SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Sept. 11 license plate program in California advertised as a way to help victims’ children attend college and support anti-terrorism efforts has been raided by successive governors and provided only a fraction of the scholarship money intended.
An Associated Press review of the $15 million collected since the plates were approved in 2002 shows only $80,000 went to scholarships. While 40 percent of the money went to anti-terror training programs, $3 million was raided by Gov. Jerry Brown and his predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to plug budget deficits.
Millions more have gone to budget items with little relation to terrorism threats, including workplace safety programs.
Some Californians who lost loved ones in the attacks say the spending is an affront to the memory of those who died.
