WASHINGTON INSIGHT

GREENBACK ALLIANCE: California often comes up short when Congress dishes out federal dollars. That’s largely because of deep splits in the state’s congressional delegation. But now, with California’s economy reeling, the lawmakers have vowed close cooperation--and taken action to achieve it. . . . The seven Californians on the House and Senate appropriations committees have agreed to pool staffs, pick funding items and map strategy to nail the money into bills. . . . A key was getting new Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein onto the Senate appropriations panel. “In the past, California never had anybody there and so the state brought zero from the Senate into conferences with the House,” says Rep. Vic Fazio (D-West Sacramento), who organized the alliance. “Now we can increase our leverage.” . . . Another key was signing up Republican Reps. Jerry Lewis (Redlands) and Ron Packard (Oceanside) to work with majority Democrats Feinstein, Fazio, Julian C. Dixon (Los Angeles), Esteban E. Torres (Pico Rivera) and Nancy Pelosi (San Francisco). A possible danger: The rest of Congress has always feared that the huge, 54-member California delegation would get organized. “This could fan ABC (Anybody But California) sentiment,” an aide says.