Feb 9, 2010 6:42 pm US/Pacific
On The Money: Spending Spree?
$75 Million in Questionable State Spending
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
California is deep in debt. But that didn't stop state bureaucrats last year from spending $75 million for new vehicles and new furniture, in the middle of a budget crisis. That's the finding of a new report from the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review.
Background: State Expenditures (.doc)
Last year, when California was raising taxes and cutting services, the Assembly report says close to a dozen state agencies were spending millions of dollars of your money. And wait until you see what they bought. Assemblywoman Audra Strickland gave CBS 13 a sneak peak at the list that includes, "Two Chevy Malibus, three Chevy Colorados, five Chevy Malibus, a Chevy Colorado, 2 Chevy Silverados." Those are just some of the items the Republican from Camarillo identified on a long list of vehicles purchased by four different state agencies.
Spreadsheet: Vehicle Expenses (Excel format)
Spreadsheet: Vehicle Expenses 2 (Excel Format)
Spreadsheet: Vehicle Expenses 3 (Excel-Macro Format)
Strickland said she was astounded by what she found, "The Department of Transportation bought a fixed wing aircraft for almost a million dollars," she said. Strickland is the vice-chair of the Assembly's Accountability Committee.
Millions of dollars in new vehicles – and million more in new tables, chairs and desks for a state drowning in red ink. Altogether, $75 million in questionable spending last year, according to the Assembly report, including $43 million for new cars and $30 million for new furniture.
Spreadsheet: Furniture Expenses (Excel format)
The report also identifies nearly $2 million for state agencies to hold conferences and outside meetings.
Spreadsheet: Hotel Expenses (Excel format)
Spreadsheet: Hotel Expenses 2 (Excel format)
Last July, Governor Schwarzenegger issued an Executive Order, calling for state agencies to cut costs and eliminate new vehicle purchases, except in cases of emergency.
Read: Schwarzenegger's Executive Order
But did the millions of dollars in new spending violate that order?
"We know that payments were made after the Executive Order," said Hector De La Torre, the chair of the Assembly's Accountability Committee. But the South Gate Democrat added, "We don't know if those commitments and contracts were made before or after the Executive Order."
Most of the spending detailed in the report occurred between January and March of 2009, well in advance of the Governor's Executive Order. But De La Torre said the real question is, "In a budget crisis that we're in, why are we buying all this stuff?"
A state hearing on Wednesday will explore more than $10 million in new vehicle purchased by Caltrans last year – plus $5 million worth of new cars for the Department of Parks and Recreation. The report also identifies new office furniture for at least four government agencies including:
*$1.8 million spent by the Department of Motor Vehicles
*$785,000 spent by the Department of General Services
Audra Strickland had this reaction to the overall spending: "I find that the cavalier attitude that state bureaucrats are taking to taxpayer dollars to be not only insulting but disrespectful to every state employee who's been furloughed, to every taxpayer who's been struggling to make ends meet."
Assembly investigators are also looking at nearly $1 million for conferences and outside meetings by the Department of Education – and almost a quarter of a million dollars spent by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The agencies listed in the report referred all questions to the Governor's Office. Spokesperson Rachel Arrezola told CBS 13, "The Governor always wants to use taxpayer dollars as efficiently as possible. And we are going to be reviewing the details of this report. "
On Wednesday, at least ten different state government executives will be grilled at the Capitol about their spending.
Overview Of Expenditures (Excel Format)
That hearing starts at 9 a.m. and CBS 13 will be there to follow the money. E-mail us with your story ideas at
onthemoney@kovr.com. You can also follow On The Money stories in progress via Twitter at
https://twitter.com/mikeluery .
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