The Report indicates 15 years of accounting errors in a complicated reporting system, under-reporting but not embezzlement.
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| Just kidding... |
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The scandal broke last summer when it was revealed that the parks department had a hidden surplus of nearly $54 million even though it was threatening to close dozens of facilities. Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the California Natural Resources Agency, said officials are still determining whether the investigation will result in criminal charges. John Laird, the resources secretary, said new policies and staff are in place to prevent similar problems in the future.
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| Closed due to hidden revenue |
"It is now clear that this is a problem that could have been fixed by
a simple correction years ago, instead of being unaddressed for so long
that it turned into a significant blow to public trust in government,"
Laird, who oversees the parks department, said in a statement. The rest of the $54 million was found in an account for off-road
vehicle parks.
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| Don't blame me, I'm National |
Investigators said accounting discrepancies there
appeared to be unintentional, and the result of various bookkeeping
problems involving loans and tax changes. For example, a 2010 modification to the gas tax mistakenly pumped
millions of excess dollars into the off-road account, the report said.
That problem has been fixed and the money has been reallocated,
according to the Department of Finance. The investigation from the attorney general's office is the third
review of the parks department in recent weeks. One more report, from
the state auditor, is expected to be released. Read article.
Reference - State of CA Final Report (pdf), 12/31/12, also embedded in the article Report link.
Related - Wikipedia, "List of California State Parks", includes park, county and remark information links. National Parks Traveler, 7/25/10, Smokey the Bear is National (US Forest Service and National Association of State Foresters).
Related articles - The Daily Journal (San Mateo), 1/5/13, Silicon Valley Mercury News, 1/4/13. Fix Pacifica articles - California parks scandal.
Related articles - The Daily Journal (San Mateo), 1/5/13, Silicon Valley Mercury News, 1/4/13. Fix Pacifica articles - California parks scandal.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
4 comments:
Well, these government workers did not hide the money for their personal use, right? Looks like they were just over-zealous in their actions to protect our parks. Not the worst crime but still mislead the taxpayers. Not good. Also, good job in terminating those government employees. Justice for the taxpayers. Thanks for the update.
Who was terminated? They just retired. It was not government employees, or workers it wsa govermnet management. Not all, but most or some, that were in on the system of petty favortism. At a time of lack they were hiding money, stuffing their faces, and padding thier wallets. Most all them are still around, and they have not given back the favors granted to them wrongfully. Parks workers and State workers are not represented by these corrupt managers.
No they did hide the money for their personal use. They did not have to, they were using regular appropriated funds to pad their wallets. It was not State Workers, or Government Employees, too general, lumps the crooks in with the grunts, and honest workers. The Managers gained in a system of petty favortism, with buyouts, promotions, overtime, added retirment pay, and a fat job after retirment, a form of double dipping.
double-dipping? please don't go there BrickDog
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