Santa Clara County Wasting $7.5 Million on Vehicle Fleet. Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager is pointing the finger at waste in management of the county's vehicle fleet. On June 1, he released an audit by County Auditor Roger Mialocq that found many of the county's vans, pickups and sedans are sitting idle much of the time. Supervisor Yeager said new purchases of vehicles should be halted until the county can develop a plan for better use of vehicles.
Mr. Mialocq's audit found that the county could save $7.5 million by consolidating the fleet, tightening oversight and selling surplus vehicles.
The audit found that employees have accumulated more than 3,000 unpaid parking tickets, with over $100,000 in unpaid fines since 1997. One vehicle was cited more than 100 times in two years. Cars have been used for unauthorized trips to Reno, Malibu and Santa Barbara.
There are 32 vehicles with take-home privileges assigned to employees who live outside the county, against local rules. One person uses a take-home vehicle to commute 287 miles each day, back and forth from Fresno. Some cars were taken to "far-off regions" when employees were on sick leave or vacation.
Mr. Mailocq also noted that a few employees wrecked vehicles at an alarming rate, with little follow-up from superiors. Nine staffers had three accidents apiece in just one year. (Source: San Jose Mercury News, June 1.)
Cal-Taxletter, June 5, 2009
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