SACRAMENTO, CA - Eighteen of 31 first-year California state legislators have decided not to order a new state-subsidized fleet vehicle, a symbolic gesture in closing the state's $25.4 billion budget gap, the San Francisco Gate reported.

New legislators are entitled to select a new car bought by the state and leased to them. Gas and maintenance costs are publicly funded. Ninety percent of the mileage that legislators record on a state-subsidized car is supposed to be for job-related travel, according to the newspaper.

The SF Gate also reported that a cumulative total of 29 legislators are driving personal vehicles for work. In 2009, 17 legislators rejected state cars, and in 2006, nine did.

To read the entire San Francisco Gate article, click here.