Posted on 03/23/2005 8:21:46 PM PST by NormsRevenge
California auditors uncovered state employees submitting false expense reports, sleeping on the job, getting paid for unperformed work and living rent-free on state property, according to a report released Tuesday. In the state's latest semi-annual report on whistle-blower complaints, the Bureau of State Audits pinpointed at least eight cases of employee or agency misconduct between July and December of last year, costing the state $250,000 or more.
The bureau has seen a sharp increase in complaints since 2002, when a law took effect requiring state agencies to notify employees about California's whistle-blower hotline.
"It's very helpful because there have been times when there have been millions of dollars of misdeeds that have been uncovered," Steve Hendrickson, chief deputy state auditor, said about findings in 2002-03 and 2003-04 fiscal years.
"An even more important aspect is the deterrent effect that we believe this has on keeping state employees from engaging in improper activities -- because somebody's watching."
In 2001-02, the agency received an average of 26 complaints per month. The next year, after the law took effect, the average jumped to 44 per month.
The new report details eight cases that were substantiated during the second half of 2004, including these:
A Department of Motor Vehicles manager routinely arrived late and left early, spent much of her job time playing card games on her computer and sleeping, and failed to monitor and stop inappropriate behavior by her staff members. The DMV, after learning of the problems, demoted the manager two steps and placed her in a job where she received more direct supervision.
The Department of Veterans Affairs allowed at least three employees to live at the Barstow Veterans Home without paying rent, violating state law and department policy and costing the state at least $10,920. The home began charging the employees rent after being notified of the violation, which auditors attributed to agency failure to notify home operators of a new policy in 2002 establishing rental rates for employees allowed to stay in vacant rooms.
The Department of Corrections improperly paid $238,184 to 25 nurses at four different facilities for a supervisory premium that they did not earn. The department is still reviewing the allegations.
While such investigations can root out misuse of taxpayer funds, reports like the one issued Tuesday could feed public perceptions that state employees are not doing their jobs, particularly at a time when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is highlighting problems with state government, said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California.
"The message is that (some employees believe) it's easy to get away with it and there is a certain arrogance within the bureaucracy," Jeffe said. "That, I think, would be the message that's sent to voters."
The whistle-blower hotline to report improper governmental activities is (800) 952-5665. Or, a complaint form can be downloaded by going online to www.bsa.ca.gov and clicking on "Contact us."
Is that just for California or all 50 states?
California only, in this case, but other states may have similar programs set up hopefully, or will.
Well if those liberal newspapers don't know about it, who does? LOL
If whistleblowers at Enron or the FBI are TIME magazine cover stories, then this ought to at least be at LA Times cover story. Whats good for the goose....
And the above comment doesn't include the waste at LA Unified School district and other huge, bloated school bureaucracies in the state.
The rule of thumb for government agencies is to avoid having a budget surplus, for if they do, the following year's budget allocation will be smaller than the previous. Therefore, you will often see massive spending at some agencies just prior to the end of the fiscal year in order to spend all of the money they were allocated.
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