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636 Publications Found
February 24, 2005 - The Governor proposes to consolidate the state’s two largest data centers into the Department of Technology Services. A consolidated data center should ultimately result in improved services and reduced costs. A number of specific components of the proposal, however, would preempt the Legislature’s appropriation and oversight roles. For instance, the department’s expenditures would be controlled by administration officials outside the purview of the Legislature. Consequently, we recommend that the Legislature approve the consolidation but modify some key components.
February 24, 2005 - The state lacks a unified strategic approach to homeland security. The Office of Homeland Security and the Department of Health Services have not sufficiently coordinated their efforts. We make a number of recommendations to address these problems, including the development of a strategic plan and annual expenditure report.
February 24, 2005 - The Governor’s budget includes funds for implementation of Proposition 69—DNA Collection—by the Departments of Justice, Corrections, and Youth Authority. While these departments will require funding to collect and process tens of thousands of additional DNA samples in 2005-06, our analysis indicates that the requests for Corrections and Youth Authority are overbudgeted by $3.5 million.
February 24, 2005 - The Foreign Prisoner Treaty Transfer program has the potential to reduce state incarceration costs by transferring inmates to their country of origin. Because of administrative issues, the state does not obtain the maximum benefit that could be achieved from this program. We offer recommendations for increasing the program’s use and state savings.
February 24, 2005 - In September 2004, a federal court issued an order requiring further improvements in CDC’s inmate health care delivery system. We believe the Governor’s budget year proposal is consistent with the court order. However, the state continues to face significant challenges in providing better access to quality health care for inmates, including attracting qualified health professionals to work in the prison system, and implementing a health information system that enables the department to oversee the delivery of health care. We recommend a number of modifications to the Governor’s budget proposal that would result in state General Fund savings.
February 24, 2005 - As a means of controlling prison violence, CDC has established several “disciplinary confinement” options, including administrative segregation and special housing units. Despite increasing use of such options, data show inmate assaults (and the associated state costs) continue to increase. Our examination identifies a number of shortcomings in the department’s disciplinary confinement policies and practices, and offers recommendations for improvement.
February 24, 2005 - We find that there has been a substantial undercollection of pesticide mill assessment revenues, and we offer a couple of options for addressing this issue. We recommend that the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Department of Finance report at budget hearings on the options.
February 24, 2005 - We recommend the deletion of $10.8 million from the General Fund requested by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDFFP) for fire apparatus and helicopters because the proposal lacks details and the plan to purchase helicopters is premature. We also recommend the deletion of $9 million from the General Fund proposed for year-round firefighting staffing in Southern California because the proposal has not been justified. Finally, we recommend a number of actions to improve legislative oversight over CDFFP’s receipt and use of unanticipated federal funds.
February 24, 2005 - The Governor’s Reorganization Plan Number One (GRP 1), related to reforming boards and commissions, proposes eliminating two energy-related agencies—the California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority and the Electricity Oversight Board—and moving their duties to the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. We find that this proposal raises various issues, including potential conflicts of interest in the resulting organization and whether the reorganization is premature pending potential future changes in the energy market and a potential proposal to establish an energy agency.
February 24, 2005 - We find that there are significant amounts of resources bond funds that were appropriated in the current and prior years that have not been expended. We also find that delays persist in getting funds out-the door and that there has been a lack of demand for the specified use of some bond funds. We recommend that the administration report at budget hearings on various bond program implementation issues.
February 24, 2005 - In order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the state’s recycling programs, we recommend that such programs be consolidated into a new department within the California Environmental Protection Agency. We also recommend that the nonrecyling-related functions in the current agencies be transferred to other departments. This reorganization would generate special fund savings of at least $2 million.
February 24, 2005 - The budget proposes to finance a pending $464 million settlement of a flood-related lawsuit against the state (the Paterno case) with a judgment bond. We think that there may be other ways to pay this settlement. We also find that the judgment bond proposal raises legal, policy, and fiscal issues for the Legislature to consider. We recommend that the Director of Finance report on various issues at budget hearings.
February 24, 2005 - The Governor proposes to suspend all of the state’s election-related reimbursable mandates. These suspensions would reduce the state’s General Fund costs by $16.5 million in 2005-06. The suspensions, however, could cause confusion regarding election procedures and reduce statewide uniformity. We recommend funding a number of the mandates, but with a simplified reimbursement method.
February 24, 2005 - The implementation of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) represents a significant opportunity for the Legislature to upgrade the state’s election systems and improve the administration of election laws. At a statewide level, the most pressing HAVA deadline is the requirement to have a federally compliant voter registration database operational by January 1, 2006. We offer a number of key considerations to assist the Legislature in implementing HAVA.