When Gov. Jerry Brown announced last month that he would eliminate half of the state's official car fleet, he wasn't just referring to the autos used by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Data from a June 2010 Department of General Services survey indicates that more than 60 state agencies have a total of 4,500 permits to store taxpayer-funded cars at the residence of an employee. This number does not include vehicles that are stored somewhere other than a residence, or vehicles that have an exemption because they are necessary for health and safety operations.
Among the California agencies with at least one such permit, according to the report: the African American Museum, the Horse Racing Board, and the State Fair. View the entire list here [PDF].
While the one car kept at home by a museum employee is a relatively small expenditure compared to the 1,000 vehicles stored at home by state Highway Patrol employees, a few cars here and there can add up quickly. The mandate outlining the fleet reduction program notes that the state spends $90 million a year on fuel for official cars and tens of millions of dollars in operating expenses.
Brown's announcement marks the second attempt to reduce California's official car fleet in the past two years. In 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a similar order, and 2,000 home storage permits were revoked.
It is unclear which departments will endure the brunt of the new generation of cuts. Some, like the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, have "health and safety" exemptions for most of their fleet, a designation that means the vehicle is vital to health and safety-related activities and cannot be cut.
"There are certain cars that are needed by police, firefighters, and other people like that," said Eric Lamoureux, acting deputy director of the Department of General Services. "But anything that does not fall on that list can be looked at for elimination."
But many state vehicles that aren't officially in that category are still used for health and safety purposes. Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the Department of Consumer Affairs, said the 253 cars stored at home by agency employees are used by armed investigators who have the power of arrest. It makes sense for them to keep the cars at home, he said, because the investigators are often out in the field far away from the office.
"We think we can make a few cuts, but we're going to try to protect our inspector's vehicles to the extent that we can while still complying with the governor's order," said Heimerich.*
The California African American Museum, the California Horse Racing Board, and the California Exposition and State Fair did not respond to requests for comment.
*This paragraph was changed from an earlier version in order to correct an error in the quote from Mr. Heimerich.
Comments
via Twitter