State parks scandal: Honor system

[Joe Cocker]

www.mercurynews.com/california/.../state-parks-scandal-honor-syste...
12 hours ago

The little-known practice of trusting.

California s top finance officials Tuesday acknowledged what could be a ... $37 billion in "special funds scattered throughout state government.

[Mink]

Who knew the honor system is still alive? That will change immediately...

blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/07/jerry-brown-calls-california-parks-scandal-a-first-downplays-significance.html

July 25, 2012
Jerry Brown calls parks scandal a 'first,' downplays significance

In his first public remarks about the California state parks scandal, Gov. Jerry Brown downplayed its significance this morning, suggesting it was better to find nearly $54 million in apparently hidden money than to discover money missing.

"This is the first problem I've ever seen where actually people in government saved money, and that's good, because we have the money and we can use it," Brown told reporters in Sacramento. "How the heck it happened, we're trying to figure it out. And we will figure it out. We're looking at all the special funds."

The Brown administration revealed Friday that the Department of Parks and Recreation had been sitting on a surplus even as the state moved to close parks. Brown that day called for an investigation.

This morning, the Democratic governor said California's larger problem is reducing state debt.

"When somebody comes and says, 'Hey, guess what, we have some money over here,' well, that's better than saying, 'Whoops, we don't have the money,' " he said.

The state usually concerns itself with controlling misspending and overspending, not departments failing to spend money they have, he added.

"That's a new one," Brown said, "and we'll work on it."

But, he added, "More money is better than less money."

Read more here: blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/07/jerry-brown-calls-california-parks-scandal-a-first-downplays-significance.html#storylink=cpy

[Joe Cocker]

With over 700 Big government State of California departments how many could be sitting on several years of non-spent tax dollars or storage of stuff that is new and not used yearly on their budgeted money. If they don't spend completely they get docked with less money for next year. So some could get BANKED!

Wonder what the State EPA has in the bank-account.

[Joe Cocker]

California investigates up to $2.3 billion in public funds hiding in plain sight.

The potential error is especially remarkable considering how easy it would have been to catch.

Earlier this year, dozens of state departments told Gov. Jerry Brown's budget aides that they had a combined $8.8 billion left in "rainy day" reserves for their special fund accounts as of a year ago. At the same time, the controller's office tabulated a total of $11.1 billion in cash reserves for the accounts.

www.mercurynews.com/california-budget/ci_21168552/up-2-3-billion-california-public-funds-hiding