What you could call the most important job in Sacramento is vacant right now, and political hacks need not bother to apply.

 Despite its importance, this job could be considered a "stealth" position because of its low visibility. It's about the farthest office from a political celebrity — like governor, Assembly speaker or Senate president pro tem. This job requires strict nonpartisanship, which is what makes it so important.

That's why most Californians probably don't even know who has held the office with distinction for the past 22 years. How can most folks get acquainted with a state official who never runs for election? When public officials are seeking our votes is when they buy newspaper, radio and TV ads and send out mailers, all telling us how wonderful they are.

The name of this dedicated nonpolitician is Elizabeth Hill, who runs the California Legislative Analyst's Office. She has been so effective in avoiding all the political pitfalls in Sacramento, she could be considered one of the state's unnatural resources.

Though she's retiring, the "Help Wanted" sign isn't really out, not literally, because chances are that her successor will be someone from within that office. A Joint Legislative Budget Committee will select Hill's successor, which is how she got the job. After 10 years in the LAO, Hill was chosen as the fourth legislative analyst in state history in 1986 — even though she was seven months pregnant at the time. 

What made her new job even more of a challenge was the fact that she was succeeding the legendary A. Alan Post, who held the job for 28 years and turned the LAO into one of the most respected agencies in state government.

Before Post, who was just the third person to hold the office since it was created in 1941, the LAO was so low-key that it was almost invisible. Post gained fame for taking on liquor-licensing corruption and other unsavory influence over state officials.

In those days, with a staff of more than 100, LAO assessed the fiscal impact of all proposed legislation. Then, with the advent in 1990 of Proposition 140, the measure that imposed term limits on state elected officials, the LAO budget was slashed and the office staff cut by about half. That forced Hill and her team to concentrate on analyzing budget proposals and educating freshmen legislators.

As proof of her success, Hill's unbiased critiques have been equally irksome to both Republicans and Democrats, while she's dealt with four different governors  — George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though they wouldn't have found it hard to deal with Hill personally — because of her reputation for being courteous and nonconfrontational — governors of both parties have found it hard to deal with her dispassionate analyses of their budget projections.

That's been true with both Republican and Democratic governors — and also true through both the good times and the bad in California's economy. Yes, Virginia, there really were some good times for state budgets — though it's hard to remember that far back.

According to an article by Max Vanzi in the California Journal, when Davis was governor, Hill's office once reported that his budget-revenue projections were $360 million too low.  

No, that's not a typo. We really did have budget surpluses in the good-old days. That's the main reason Proposition 13 was passed by a landslide — with people being taxed out of their homes while the Legislature sat on a budget surplus.  

When Deukmejian and Wilson were the governors, some Republicans naturally wondered if Hill's office would be as unbiased in assessing the budgets of Democrats in the governor's office. Any doubters could just ask Davis.

By contrast, Hill is now trying to advise Schwarzenegger and the Legislature on how to deal with a state budget that's $16 billion (with a B) out of whack. As a finale before she makes her stage exit, she has issued a suggested budget of her own — one not relying on unrealistic projections for state revenues.

How did California contract this acute case of fiscal anemia? Hill told Aaron Davis of The Associated Press that ballot initiatives, plus growing demands for state services helped turn the state budget books from black ink to red — and term limits, with the constant turnover of increasingly partisan legislators, have also contributed.

Speaking about Hill's retirement, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, a Democrat, told AP, "Her dedication to examining the policies — not the politics — of issues was remarkable."

Gov. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said, "Few Californians can compare to Liz Hill's long and distinguished record of nonpartisan public service and integrity."

Some nameless Capitol wag once labeled Hill "the budget nun" — though she's the mother of a grown son and daughter. 

In the knee-jerk partisan atmosphere of Sacramento, it's very difficult to find truly factual assessments that aren't tainted by politics. Other "facts" are too often offered by politicians pushing a partisan perspective, or by lobbyists peddling the alleged public benefits of a legislation that basically benefits their clients. 

Even if you didn't even know who Hill was, you should take a new interest in what she did — and we must hope that her successor proves as worthy of the job as she has been.

We all need at least one truly reliable source in state government.

— Chuck Thomas is a Star columnist whose column appears on the Opinion pages each Saturday. His e-mail address is star4cthomas@earthlink.net.