Attorney General Mark Shurtleff gave state porn czar Paula Houston her walking orders Monday.
The decision comes as Shurtleff's office continues to struggle under a more than $600,000 shortfall this fiscal year and faces $750,000 in reductions for fiscal year 2004.
"I just don't have the funding to do it anymore," said Shurtleff, who months ago vowed to keep his pornography ombudsman despite the continuing cuts. "It makes it very tough, but that is the message out of these budget cuts. We don't have any fewer responsibilities, but we have less funding to do these jobs."
Shurtleff said he was forced to make the decision after Gov. Mike Leavitt vetoed a bill passed in the recent legislative special session that would have given him the ability to use antitrust litigation monies to help fund his general operations.
Leavitt objected to the measure by Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, because he said it was inappropriate for public attorneys to rely on fees to pay their salaries.
The office, created three years ago in legislation sponsored by Rep. Evan Olsen of Cache County, drew national attention after Utah became the first state in the country to have a "porn czar."
Initial funding was $75,000 but was bumped up in subsequent sessions.
Reached Wednesday at his Young Ward home, Olsen said he was disappointed at Shurtleff's decision.
"I think they are wrong to do this," he said. "I think the problem has got worse and it has not gone away. If I was still there, I would fight for it."
Olsen was defeated in his re-election bid.
The office, however, has been on the chopping block for some time.
In the special budget-cutting session held last June to plug budget gaps, Shurtleff was told to reduce his expenditures by $250,000.
One of the ways recommended by legislative fiscal analysts was elimination of the porn czar — officially called the "Obscenity and Pornography Ombudsman Office" — at that time funded at $150,000.
Shurtleff rejected that recommendation, choosing instead to absorb the cuts in other ways. The latest reductions, however, left Shurtleff to wield the job ax on his own.
"This was something our office was legally mandated to do, which is why I hung on for so long. It is an unfunded mandate at this point. We will fulfill the responsibilities but without the funding."
Shurtleff said he will take Houston's duties and hand them out to other members of his staff.
Houston said Wednesday she's been aware for some time that her office has been the target of budget-cutting scrutiny.
There has been long-standing criticism of Houston and her office, with skeptics fearing she was ill-equipped for the job because of her religious background. Others worried she'd go on a moral crusade.
Despite the barbs, Houston said she loved her job, and she defends the value of the position.
"I think every state should have someone in this position. I think it is a growing issue. I've had thousands and thousands of people call me with concerns over their children, pornography and the Internet who need help."
Gayle Ruzicka, head of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, said she was disappointed in Shurtleff's decision but not surprised.
"I know there are budget cuts, but I am not sure this is the right place to do it," she said. "Pornography is out of control, and Paula was looking at ways at starting to get this under control. Now that is gone and it's sad. Ultimately, it will cost the state a lot more money to incarcerate these people who are acting out."
E-MAIL: amyjoi@desnews.com