Posted on 08/19/2012 12:41:14 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The state Department of Parks and Recreation routinely searched for ways to spend extra money each June despite facing the threat of park closures and forgoing upkeep at its 278 properties, based on newly released transcripts from an internal investigation.
Testimony from 30 interviews with state employees portrays parks administrators who appeared to have the opposite problem from one long described by Gov. Jerry Brown – excess cash left over and not enough ways to spend it.
....The documents depict a department that wanted to keep secret a reserve of its own special funds to hedge against future financial problems while securing – and spending – as much state general fund money each year as it could.
....In the documents, Cheryl Taylor, a former state parks budget director, described a cat-and-mouse game that parks officials played with finance officials to protect their department's share of general fund money.
.....Some employees described a springtime rush each year to spend money authorized by the Legislature to avoid having the funds return to the general fund budget for other purposes.
...At least two officials testified that the practice of quickly burning down budgeted funds each June – right before the fiscal year ends – was widespread in California government.
"Well, I've been around the fiscal world long enough to know that you don't leave unexpended authority if you can avoid it," testified Michael Harris, who has since been fired as acting parks chief deputy director......
.....[former parks administrator Manuel Thomas] Lopez resigned from the agency in May, a week before he faced termination over the unauthorized leave buyout. In July, he and his wife filed for bankruptcy protection, indicating that they owed $230,000 more on their Granite Bay home than it is worth and had $86,000 in credit card debt.....
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
I’m sick to my almost death of dishonest government employees.
It would seem those willing to look the other way get bumped up the ladder.
Oh yeah!
Yep
Incentives drive behavior.
Exactly. By subsidizing behavior, you get more of it.
Somewhere in this whole mess....you’d think that a state audit group would have been a threat to any of these practices. Apparently, there is no audit agency.
The amount of trust left within the state with this parks agency is pretty much shot. If they come back asking for funds, no one will believe them.
John Laird.
Most California parks are nothing more than a sheit grounds for dogs and a place for drug dealing and a place for the hobo’s to sleep.
Sell them or make them parking lots.
I’ve noticed that A LOT of parks are named for politicians and city “leaders” — on our dime.
The Mob has nothing on California’s sttae department officials.. like squirrels hiding their nuts ..
Those in government not only hide billions in tax paid assets, the loot other tax revenues, while lining their own pockets.
All while the government floods the country with foreigners, legal and illegal and then demands more schools, jails etc, more government employees to handle the demand, as they rob the tax payers for more and more money.
It's a government sponsored evil vicious circle.
Every park I go to in Ca has dog droppings bums and dealers.Most of the beaches have had sewage spills at least twice a year.
Agree
Maybe you should get out more.
Yes out of parks,it.s safer.
I was at Bolsa Chica State Beach Monday. Dogs aren’t allowed, there was no drug dealing going on, and there was no sewage spill. I know, I know, who should I believe, you or my lying eyes!
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