Note to Jerry Brown: You Want to Cut the Budget? Here’s Where to Start!

Incoming governor California Jerry Brown is now considering how to plug the $28 billion hole in the California budget.:  There is talk that he is “seriously considering” what to do about Proposition 13 (which he opposed in the 1970s when it was passed) and putting a tax increase before voters in June.: 

There is talk of draconian cuts to schools and social services…but why is there no talk of using an already-completed : statewide report on abusive government waste that is sitting on the shelf gathering dust?: : :  Read this and feel free to forward this to Jerry Brown.

A lot of Californians seem to shrug off the now-kaput governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger as some sort of benign annoyance.:  That would be wrong.:  As the details of his final days in office come out, there has been revealed a very dark, deceptive side of the cigar-chomping “Terminator” with a twinkle in his eye.

I have already covered what is probably his worst and final act: the commutation of the stabbing murder sentence of Esteban Nunez, the spoiled son of Democrat political crony Fabian Nunez, who even bragged that his father’s connections would get him “off.” [Read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Final Deal with the Devil.]

But there is so much more to Schwarzenegger’s shadowy term.:  In his final days, Bill Clinton-like, he also richly rewarded “special friends” and Republicans who “sold out” and acquiesced to his 2009 tax increases.:  In fact, he gave cushy, do-nothing jobs to cronies on boards and commissions that he once recommended be eliminated!!!

: A Los Angeles Times editorial today, “The Terminator’s Surrender,” reminds us that just a few years ago, when Schwarzenegger was still pretending to be a “government reformer,” he conducted a thorough investigation of the state’s bloated bureaucracy and found plenty of places to cut.

Here is the entire 57-page report ordered by Arnold Schwarzenegger and never acted upon:

“The California Performance Review, a panel of more than 250 state employees, was created by Schwarzenegger in an effort to identify and eliminate waste and inefficiency in state government. It found plenty of both when examining the state’s boards and commissions. The panel managed to track down a total of 339 of them, but in its final report it warned that there were probably more hidden within the bureaucracy. Although the members of some are appointed by the governor or legislative leaders, others are appointed by department heads or even by other boards and commissions. In many cases, members are paid handsomely for doing little work.”

Notice above that it was California STATE EMPLOYEES recommending these cuts in wasteful agencies, not someone from the “top down” ordering this.:  Yet this report has “gathered dust.”

The Review’s recommendation was to : : eliminate 117 of the state’s 339 boards and commissions, which in salaries alone were costing taxpayers $9 million:  a year.:  (That doesn’t count office space, staff, supplies, etc.:  The Review could not quantify how much the REAL cost of:  all these agencies is/was.)

You can read below about these various mouse-mazes of mumbo-jumbo below and what the Review said they do/don’t do.:  Note in the conclusion on page 16, there were SO MANY of these boards that the reviewing committee could not be sure it had found them all!

Boards and Commissions Recommended for Elimination

COMMERCE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

Architects Board and Landscape Architects Technical Committee

Eliminate the Board, which was created in 1901, and the Technical Committee because they are not needed to conduct licensing and regulatory activities of professional disciplines. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Division of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Banking Advisory Council

Eliminate the Advisory Council. The secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc committee should the need arise to confer on industry issues.

Board of Barbering and Cosmetology

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to regulate the barbering and cosmetology professions. These licensing functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s licensing and regulatory activities. The functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The relatively few appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Bureau of Hearing Aid Dispensers Advisory Committee

Responsibilities for the regulation of hearing aid dispensers should be transferred to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The advisory committee should be eliminated. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if one is needed.

California Horse Racing Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s regulatory and licensing functions. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Divisions of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Contractors State Licensing Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to conducting professional licensing and responding to consumer complaints. The functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget, whose recommended decisions should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. This will promote “chain of command” accountability for the handling of this regulatory program, which has been plagued by license application backlogs and a public that widely complains about the quality and reliability of contractors.

Court Reporters Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s regulatory functions. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Division of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Credit Union Advisory Committee (in the Department of Financial Institutions)

Eliminate the Committee. The new Secretary of Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint ad hoc advisory committees when the need arises.

Electronic Commerce Advisory Council

This Council was created by Executive Order in 1998. It was charged with issuing a report on electronic commerce which it completed in 2000 and has apparently been dormant since then. Hence, it should formally be eliminated.

Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee (in the Bureau of Automotive Repair)

Eliminate the Commission. The Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

New Motor Vehicle Board

Eliminate the Board. The dispute resolution function should be handled by the parties directly. There is no need for a governmental body to take on this work. Furthermore, consumer complaint mediation should be a core function of the Office of Consumer Protection within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun

Eliminate the Board. The licensing function of boat pilots in these bays should be performed within the Division of Commercial Licensing in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The independent review of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. Decisions on these hearings should be rendered by the Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. It should also be noted that this function is a prime candidate for delegation to a local entity given the geographic limitations of the body’s focus.

Private Security Disciplinary Review Commission (North/South) and Alarm Company Disciplinary Review Committee

Eliminate these Commissions. Oversight of private security and alarm operators should continue through the Division of Commercial Licensing within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The independent review of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. Decisions on these hearings should be rendered by the Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Real Estate Advisory Commission

Eliminate the Commission. The Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee when the need arises.

Service Agency Advisory Committee

Eliminate the Committee. It was created and appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture to assist the Division of Measurement and Standards. The Measurements and Standards function is transferring to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. As such, that Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to conduct professional licensing. These functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Agricultural Cooperative Bargaining Advisory Committee

Eliminate the Advisory Committee. This is a purely advisory body. The Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture can appoint an ad hoc committee to assist if the need arises.

Apprenticeship Council

Eliminate the Council, which has been in place since the 1930s, because it is no longer needed to perform regulatory and advisory responsibilities. These activities should be performed by the Division of Workforce Development within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need arises.

Commission of the Californias

Eliminate the Commission, which has been dormant for a number of years. A formal commission is not required to promote favorable ties with Baja California. That can be handled by the Governor’s Office with assistance from the Secretary of Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Commission for Economic Development

Eliminate the Commission. This commission was inactive for nearly ten years. New appointments were made in August of 2003. Three meetings have been held and two reports issued since that time. Despite this recent activity, it is duplicative of the Economic Strategy Panel, which addresses the same issues and should continue within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation

Eliminate this Commission. The Commission is responsible for conducting a continuing examination of the Workers’ Compensation system and related programs to prevent on-the-job injuries and illnesses. The Commission frequently contracts out with private non profit research organizations to meet this requirement. The Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development can continue to use such organizations as the need arises.

Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities

Eliminate the Committee. The functions of promoting the employment of people with disabilities should be carried out by the Division of Workforce Development within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development. Delegating such an important goal to a separate panel actually diminishes executive accountability. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as needed to assist in this effort but should serve as the individual directly accountable for ensuring opportunities and full access to employment by individuals with disabilities.

Employment Training Panel

Eliminate the Panel because it is not needed to perform job forecasting, training and advisory responsibilities. Many of its programs are duplicative of programs in other state agencies. For instance, information on labor markets is also tracked by the Employment Development Department and the Department of Industrial Relations. The functions of the Employment Training Panel should be carried out within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development and the Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory commissions as the need arises.

Fair Employment and Housing Commission

Eliminate the Commission. All of its functions related to preventing discrimination in housing and employment will be performed by the Division of Workplace Protection within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Hearings on these matters should be conducted by the Office of Appeals in the Department of Labor and Economic Development. The recommended decisions resulting from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Industrial Welfare Commission

Eliminate this Commission because it is not needed to perform the Commission’s primary activity, which is to ensure that wages and working conditions are appropriate to the type of work conducted. This charge should be performed by the Workforce Protection Division of the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board and Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board

Eliminate these Boards. Functions related to standard-setting for the state’s occupational safety and health program should be performed by the Division of Workplace Protection within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Appeals of occupational safety decisions will be heard by administrative law judges located in the Office of Appeals within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Recommended decisions arising from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Rehabilitation Appeals Board

Eliminate the Board. All appeal hearings related to rehabilitation cases currently heard by the Board should be conducted by the Office of Appeals within the newly created Department of Labor and Economic Development. Recommended decisions arising from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Small Business Board

Eliminate the Board. The Board was a part of the now defunct Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency. Though TTCA has been eliminated the Small Business Board remains in statute and should formally be eliminated as well.

Small Business Reform Task Force

Eliminate the Task Force, which completed a report on small business-oriented reforms in May of 2002 and has not been active since the change in administration. The concerns of small business should be addressed by the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and Workers’ Compensation Appeals Boards

Eliminate these Boards. All appeal functions should continue in the Office of Appeals within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges there and the Secretary will render decisions on the ALJ recommendations.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Air Resources Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to oversee air quality regulatory functions. The operations should be performed within the Division of Air Quality in the new Department of Environmental Protection. The Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee should the need arise.

Board of Geologists and Geophysicists

Eliminate the Board, transferring the responsibilities to the existing Board of Mining and Geology, which should be placed in the Division of Land Management in the new Department of Natural Resources. The consolidation will save money through economies of scale and consolidation of overlapping areas of responsibility.

Boating and Waterways Commission

Eliminate the Commission. Primary functions, including approval of various grants and loans, should be performed by the Division of Boating and Waterways within the new Department of Infrastructure. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises.

Board of Forestry and Fire Protection

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed for fire prevention, fire fighting, or forestry management. All operations related to fire protection should be performed by the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the new Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. All functions related to forestry management practices (timber harvesting, for instance) should be performed by the new Department of Natural Resources, including those functions performed by the Board. The Secretaries of these Departments can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises. Appeals currently heard by this Board should be conducted by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of Natural Resources should approve or reject the ALJ recommended decisions.

Colorado River Board

Eliminate the Board. Negotiations and issues related to California’s “fair share” of Colorado River water–one of the most complex and important issues confronting the state–should be handled directly by the Governor’s Office with assistance from the Secretary of Natural Resources.

Delta Protection Commission

Eliminate the Commission. A 2004—2005 LAO budget analysis documented that fully one half of the Commission’s non-administrative time was spent monitoring CalFED and concluded that the Commission had completed its core functions and that much of its remaining work was duplicative of the Bay-Delta Authority. The Commission also is authorized to hear land use appeals but in recent years there have been none. The remaining responsibilities should be performed within the new Department of Natural Resources with cooperation from the new Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Infrastructure.

Heritage Preservation Commission

Eliminate the Commission. All functions related to historical and cultural preservation should be conducted by the Division of Parks, History, and Culture within the Department of Natural Resources. Should the need arise, the Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee.

Historical Resources Commission

Eliminate the Commission and transfer all responsibilities related to the listing of historic sites, inventorying of such sites, and developing policies to ensure their preservation and rehabilitation to the Division of Parks, History, and Culture within the Department of Natural Resources. Should the need arise, the Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to deal with such matters as evaluating sites for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the California Historical Landmarks and California Points of Historical Interest registration programs.

Integrated Waste Management Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to conduct the responsibilities of helping managing California’s solid waste stream. This function should be carried out by the new Department of Environmental Protection. Current activities of the board are either duplicative of local planning agencies (e.g., permitting of landfills) or have suffered because of the fragmented and unaccountable nature of the Board.

Interagency Aquatic Invasive Species Council

Eliminate this advisory council. Efforts to protect against aquatic invasive species should be coordinated through the Department of Natural Resources. When the Council was established, the legislation did not provide funding. Accordingly, the Council was never formed. The comprehensive plan it was charged with developing has been initiated by staff in the Department of Fish and Game, although it is behind schedule. Making clear that this responsibility stays with the Department of Natural Resources will make them directly accountable for a function that they are already performing.

Oil Spill Technical Advisory Commission

Eliminate the Commission. Functions related to oil spill prevention and response should be performed by the new Department of Environmental Protection. The Secretary may appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises for technical advice.

Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreational Commission

Eliminate the Commission because it is not needed to carry out responsibilities related to approval of Off-Road Vehicle use in public areas. These responsibilities should be conducted directly by the Department of Natural Resources.

State Lands Commission

Eliminate this Commission as it is duplicative of other functions within state government. The three primary responsibilities of the body should be transferred to more appropriate entities, as defined below. Maritime facilities responsibilities should be transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection. Mineral leasing activities should be split. Mineral leasing activities related to energy production should be transferred to the Division of Energy within the California Infrastructure Department. Those related to non-energy commodities (gold, silver, etc.) should be conducted by the Department of Natural Resources. The land management function of the State Lands Commission should also be split to more appropriately align with departmental activities. The Division of Land Management within the Department of Natural Resources should oversee the sovereign lands portion of the portfolio. School land management functions should be carried out by the Department of Infrastructure.

State Water Resources Control Board and Regional Water Quality Control Boards

Eliminate these Boards and replace them with 10 exempt officers appointed by the Governor (one to replace the state board and one to replace each regional board). The primary responsibility of the bodies for promulgating water quality regulations, implementing water monitoring programs, issuing water discharge permits and enforcing water quality regulations should be vested with the Division of Water Quality of the Department of Environmental Protection and its regional officers. Basin plans (three-year planning documents) should be developed by members appointed on an ad hoc basis for six months, after which time, having completed the plan, the group will be disbanded.

Structural Pest Control Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to regulate the structural pest control industry. The operations should be performed by the new Department of Environmental Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority

Eliminate this Authority and transfer its responsibilities for financing facilities that use alternative sources of energy to reduce pollution to the new Infrastructure Authority within California Infrastructure Department.

Board of Reclamation

Eliminate the Board. All of the duties of this Board, which was established in 1861, such as acquiring easements for flood control purposes and constructing bypasses and levees, should be performed by the new Department of Infrastructure.

Building Standards Commission

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to perform functions related to building standards. These responsibilities, including building standards code adoption, conflict resolution, and appeals should be transferred to the new Housing, Buildings, and Construction Division with the new California Infrastructure Department. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure should affirm or reject recommended decisions arising from these appeals.

California Transportation Commission

Eliminate the Commission. All of its functions, including programming and allocating of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements, should be assumed by the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need for such bodies arise.

California Water Commission

Eliminate the Commission. The primary responsibilities of the commission, including regulatory approval and condemnation authority, should be performed by the California Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need arises.

Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority

Eliminate the Authority. Transfer the bonding authority for energy-related infrastructure to the new Infrastructure Authority within the California Infrastructure Department. Only $28 million of the $5 billion of bond authority has been issued because of changing energy markets. The Governor’s 2004-05 budget proposes eliminating the Authority. The LAO concurs but also recommends retaining the ability to issue bonds and promote conservation.

Departmental Transportation Advisory Committee

Eliminate this Committee as functions related to state scenic highways should be performed by the California Department of Infrastructure.

Electricity Oversight Board

Eliminate the Board. The Board has been made nearly obsolete by the energy crisis and rarely calls meetings. Remaining functions, such as representing the state in energy litigation, should be performed by the new California Infrastructure Department.

Energy Commission

Eliminate the Commission. All of the functions of the Energy Commission should be performed by the consolidated Division of Energy within the newly created California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises.

High Speed Rail Authority

Eliminate the Commission. Transfer the responsibilities for developing a financial plan for a potential high speed rail line to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Department of Infrastructure.

Low Income Oversight Board

Eliminate the Board, which is formulated to serve in an advisory capacity to the Public Utilities Commission on low-income energy assistance programs and serve as liaison for the Commission to low-income ratepayers and their representatives. While the PUC will retain its rate-setting functions, it is inappropriate to utilize a separate body for issues related to serving low-income residents; this diminishes accountability. The PUC should remain the entity directly accountable for the concerns of low-income ratepayers.

Public Library Construction and Renovation Board

Eliminate this Board and transfer responsibilities for financing the building of libraries to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department.

Public Works Board

Eliminate the Board and transfer its responsibilities to the new California Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The parkland acquisition function of the Board should be shifted to the Wildlife Conservation Board within the Department of Natural Resources.

Seismic Safety Commission

Eliminate the Board. Seismic safety functions, including the review of government-funded seismic activities, should be performed directly by the Division of Housing, Building, and Construction within the California Infrastructure Department. Combining this within the Infrastructure Department will better align seismic safety efforts with infrastructure development and management efforts.

State Allocation Board

Eliminate the Board and transfer its responsibility for allocating school bond proceeds for the construction of education facilities to the new Infrastructure Authority within the California Infrastructure Department.

Tax Credit Allocation Committee

Eliminate the Committee and transfer the responsibilities for distributing state and federal tax credits to encourage low-income housing construction and retention to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department.

EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE PREPARATION

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Advisory Committee

Eliminate the Committee. The Director of the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to carry out any remaining activities assigned to this advisory committee, which will sunset in 2006.

California Career Resources Network (formerly known as Occupational Information Coordinating Committee)

Eliminate the Network. The new Secretary of the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation should create a new Cabinet level working group to align education resources and programs with economic and job trend information produced by the Department of Labor and Economic Development. This transfer will keep California in compliance with federal requirements for a coordinating body.

Community College Board of Governors

Eliminate the Board. Responsibility for overseeing the Community College system should be assigned to the Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation.

Education Audit Appeals Panel

Eliminate the Panel. Transfer responsibility for the appeal resolution process to the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. The Secretary can convene an ad hoc advisory panel if the need arises.

California Postsecondary Education Commission and the Quality Education Commission

Eliminate the Commissions. The functions of the Postsecondary Education Commission should be conducted by the Division of Higher Education within the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. The primary task of the Quality Education Commission, the development and refinement of a successful education model, is a core function of the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. Given the Department’s integrated focus on K—12 and higher education, the Department will be better able to develop a strategy that more effectively aligns the two systems. The Secretary of the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation can also appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

Student Aid Commission and the Loan Advisory Council

Eliminate the Commission and Council. The Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation should be responsible for ensuring adequate financial support for students. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if the need arises.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine Advisory Committee

Eliminate the Advisory Committee. There is no need for such a committee with gubernatorial appointments. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be free to appoint an ad hoc committee if the need arises.

California Commission on Aging

Eliminate the Commission. While the task of ensuring that policy decisions give proper consideration to the impacts they will have on older individuals is valuable, a formal commission with gubernatorial and legislative appointments is not. These functions would be more effectively and efficiently handled within the Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, individual Secretaries will be empowered to appoint advisory panels as the need arises.

Child Development Policy and Advisory Committee

Eliminate the Committee as it is purely advisory in nature. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services can establish an ad hoc advisory panel if necessary.

Health Policy and Data Advisory Commission

Eliminate the Commission because it is purely advisory in nature. The Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services can appoint an ad hoc panel if the need arises. The commission was created to address issues stemming from the 1985 elimination of the Health Facilities Commission. However, there were no action items on the agenda for any of the last three meetings held in 2003 and public participation is minimal.

Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and Treatment Task Force

Eliminate the Task Force. No appointments have been made. The Secretary of the new Department of Health and Human Services can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if it is determined that there is a need.

Department of Managed Care Advisory Committee and Clinical Advisory Panel

Eliminate the Committee and the Panel. Most of the work is advisory. Functions related to overseeing managed health care should be shifted to the Division of Quality Assurance within the new Department of Health and Human Services, which already maintains a core competency in healthcare oversight. The Department Secretary will be free to assemble an advisory group if the need arises.

Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to ensure adequate health coverage for Californians. The various programs operated by the Board should be shifted to the Division of Health Purchasing within the new Department of Health and Human Services.

Medical Assistance Commission

Eliminate the Commission because it is not needed to carry out functions related to negotiating contracts for health care. The functions should be carried out by the Division of Health Purchasing within the new Department of Health and Human Services.

Rural Health Policy Council

Eliminate the Council. All matters related to establishing rural health policy should be conducted by the Division of Health Protection within the newly created Department of Health and Human Services.

PUBLIC SAFETY

911 Advisory Board

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to ensure an effective 911 emergency response system. The Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security is being created with the specific goal of coordinating emergency response resources. The 911 system is a key element of this emergency response infrastructure. To ensure coordination with the Office of Management and Budget (particularly the Technology Services Division), the Secretary of Public Safety, in conjunction with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should assemble an ad hoc coordinating committee drawing on the necessary range of government and nongovernmental expertise.

Commission on Emergency Medical Services

Eliminate the Commission and transfer functions, including review and approval of regulations to implement the Emergency Medical Services Act to the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the newly created Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The Department Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if the need arises.

State Board of Fire Services

Eliminate this advisory Board, which has apparently not met in more than a year. All duties related to fire prevention and protection should be performed by the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the new Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Campus Sexual Assault Task Force

Eliminate the Task Force. It was required to develop and submit a report to address sexual assault on CSU and UC campuses by April 1, 2004. The report was produced and hence there is no further need for this Task Force.

Racial Profiling Panel

Eliminate the Panel. The panel was formed to develop a report on curriculum for training to avoid racial profiling by law enforcement officers. It completed its work in 2003 and has been disbanded but is still listed in the Penal Code and should be removed.

Victims Compensation and Government Claims Board

Transfer the Board’s functions related to Victim’s Compensation to the Division of Victims’ Services within the newly created Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The Board and its role related to Government Claims should continue within the Office of Management and Budget.

CORRECTIONS

Board of Prison Term

Eliminate the Board. The parole review and other hearing functions of the board should be transferred to the newly established Hearings Division within the Department of Correctional Services.

Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission

Eliminate the Commission. The functions related to correctional officer standards and training should be performed by the Correctional Standards Authority (formerly the Board of Corrections). The apprenticeship program for correctional peace officers should be eliminated in its entirety.

Joint Venture Policy Advisory Board

Eliminate the Board, whose only function is advisory and nonessential to the operation of the Joint Venture program.

Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority

Eliminate the Board and transfer functions related to overseeing the “Civil Addict” program to the Department of Correctional Services.

Prison Industry Board

Eliminate the Board. The Prison Industry Authority, which this board oversees, is being absorbed by the Department of Correctional Services, under the control of the Director of Adult Operations.

Youth Authority Board

Eliminate the Board. The functions of the Board should be transferred to existing staff within the California Youth Authority.

MISCELLANEOUS

Athletic Commission

Eliminate the Commission. The state does not require a commission of political appointees to oversee basketball, hockey, football or a variety of other sports that have amateur and professional organizations that oversee their operations, set their own rules, and are self enforcing. The same should be the case for the sports currently regulated by the Athletic Commission, namely boxing and martial arts. In fact, federal law specifically authorizes the Association of Boxing Commissions to oversee boxing matches in states without a commission. The small pension fund administered by the Athletic Commission should be transferred to the Retirement Benefits Division of the Office of Management and Budget.

Bipartisan California Commission on Internet Political Practices

Eliminate the Commission. The Commission was established by legislation in 1999 to prepare a report which it completed. The Commission sunsetted at the end of 2003 but should be formally removed from the Statutes of 1999.

Board of Guide Dogs for the Blind

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to conduct licensing functions. Very few licensees and schools that prepare individuals who train guide-dogs for the blind are regulated by the current Board. These activities should be performed within the Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation, which should license and oversee private higher education institutions and vocational schools.

Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights, Tolerance Education Task Force, Mexican American Veterans Memorial Board, Commission on the Status of Women and Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Commission

Eliminate all these individual entities and transfer the responsibilities for the promotion and recognition of these communities to a new Governor’s Office of Community Affairs. This office should be directly accountable to the Governor for the success or failure of the programs operated by these separate agencies. It should also serve as a focal point for access to the Governor’s Office for all communities and cultures, something that is nonexistent now.

Commission on Uniform State Laws

Eliminate the Commission. The major work comes from coordination with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. California can continue to participate in this national effort without appointing a separate state commission.

Franchise Tax Board

Eliminate the Board and transfer its authority to the newly created California Tax Commission, which should be directly responsible for the myriad of tax collecting functions currently scattered across numerous departments, including the Franchise Tax Board, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Employment Development Department.

Veterans Board and the Governor’s Commission on Veterans Cemeteries

Eliminate the Board. The functions of the Board, administering benefits to the state’s military veterans, do not require a separate board and should be performed within the new Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Appeals currently heard by the board should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs should approve or reject the recommended decisions resulting from these hearings. The Commission’s advisory function related to Veteran’s Cemeteries can be addressed though the Secretary appointing an ad hoc committee as the need arises.

Cross-posted at UNCOVERAGE.net