Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_3220102" target="_blank">http://www.dailynews.com/news/ ci_3220102</a> >>Waste, fraud and abuse remain rampant among California's state and local government agencies, two watchdog groups said Tuesday as they released their third annual compendium of government misspending. The "2005 California Piglet Book" lists dozens of what the groups cited are examples of state and local government waste, culled primarily from newspaper articles. It does not give a total figure because the report is meant as a series of examples, not a comprehensive study. "This report presents some of the worst examples of wasteful and fraudulent government spending in the state of California," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Washington, D.C.-based Citizens Against Government Waste, which produces a similar book for the federal government, worked with the Jarvis group to produce the California edition. Top of the list is the $138 per-diem payments made to state legislators when they are in session, even when they meet for less than 20 minutes in a day. For example, legislators can hold check-in sessions on a Friday, where they are present in the Capitol briefly, to qualify for the payment, then fly home for the weekend.<< >>Here are a few examples of excessive spending cited in the 2005 California Piglet Book compiled from media accounts by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Citizens Against Government Waste: Los Angeles County's payroll swelled from $12.1 billion in 1997 to $17.9 billion in 2002, an increase of 48 percent. The Los Angeles Community College District planned to spend $240,000 on a public relations contract in 2004 to help boost its image even while it maintains an internal P.R. staff for $340,000 a year. The city of Livermore spent $40,000 in 2004 on a ceramic mural outside a city library that had at least 11 words and names misspelled, such as Einstein and Shakespeare. The City Council authorized spending $6,000 to have the artist return from Miami to correct the mistakes, although she later changed her mind and decided not to fix them. The Oakland school district paid $173,000 for a personal bodyguard for the school superintendent, an expense that had been initially estimated at $70,000. Workers' compensation judges are six times more likely to file their own workers' compensation claims than are other judges. California Highway Patrol Commissioner Spike Helmick filed a disability claim shortly before he retired, earning him a substantially higher pension that he otherwise would have, even after years of complaining about abuse of the system. <<
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Here is a link to the entire book... <a href="http://www.hjta.org/CalPigletBook2005.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.hjta.org/CalPigletB ook2005.pdf</a>
Originally Posted By Darkbeer My gosh, DWP meter readers starting wage is $21 an hour!!!!! Edison starts at $13.45, and San Diego Gas and Electric is $11.80...
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>My gosh, DWP meter readers starting wage is $21 an hour!!!!!<< To clarify before a lie is born (the Right loves to omit certain facts in order to make things worse than they are): DWP is funded by ratepayers and is a not for profit city run utility. Interestingly, DWP customers were not affected in any way during the California power crisis. No rate increases, no rolling blackouts...nothing. In fact, DWP had excess power and was able to sell power to other utilities. SCE and PG&E are FOR profit private corporations. Where do you think their profits come from, hmmm? Labor costs. DWP's rates are actually LOWER than SCE and PG&E. So, who cares is DWP pays their meter readers more than SCE and PG&E?
Originally Posted By cmpaley What's interesting is the CHP "Chief's Disease" thing is well known and has been for a couple of years. I understand from reading various articles that there are reforms on the table regarding "Chief's Disease." Further, contrary to what some would have you think, what CHP and other public safety employees get at retirement is in no way comparable to what most other state employees get. Also, I wonder what the proposed solution the so-called "taxpayer's association" would be to WC judges filing workers comp? Forbid them and all public employees from accessing Workers Compensation? You want to find REAL waste, fraud and abuse? Ask the people who work with this stuff EVERY DAY, the evil state employees who people like Mr. Coupal like to scapegoat for all the problems in the world.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I don't understand how the increase in LA's payroll is an example of waste. It could be, but there's no context for it listed here.
Originally Posted By cmpaley The dirty little secret about Coupal and the Jarvis Association is that they are anti-public services. ANYTHING that is positive for people on a public payroll is considered wasteful by them.
