The State Worker: Unelected can wield real power in California government

By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 3A

California has two governments – the people we elect and the people who decide what really happens.

Case in point: This week's revelation that the state has spent millions of dollars on vehicles that have sat idle, in some cases for years.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made a big deal a few months ago about cutting down the number of cars and trucks the state owns. He signed an executive order to trim the state's vast fleet by 15 percent and touted a big state car sale. The "Terminator" star even autographed some of the vehicles to help sell them.

Earlier this year, a state purchasing agent you've never heard of autographed a Department of General Services purchase order for $1,237,030.37 to buy 50 Toyota Priuses that then sat idle on the top floor of a state parking garage until The Bee started snooping around. In the wake of The Bee's revelations about the purchases, a General Services manager resigned this week.

Why does this kind of thing happen? How is it that the top official in California's government can give orders and speeches about saving the state money while the bureaucracy goes the other direction?

We're not talking about the Army. Schwarzenegger isn't a general. And state managers and purchasing agents aren't troops who follow his orders at any cost.

"The guy who signs the purchase orders has more power than most of us understand," said Todd Dewett, a group behavior expert at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. "And the scope of an organization – and California government is vast – makes it hard for even the best leaders to execute their desires."

Such Prius stories spur cynicism. Some people seize on the tale as proof that government is rife with bad actors. State workers know this. Some resent the coverage.

"Are citizens of CA now going to blame State workers for procuring these vehicles?" one online commenter asked after seeing the Prius purchase order posted on The State Worker blog. "Maybe there should be a separate blog for State departments and managers!!! Workers don't have this kind of procurement authority!!!!!"

But there's another power that all state workers have. They can refuse to settle for the status quo. They can point out abuse. They can blow the whistle.

And they do take that risk. All the time. How do you think stories like this usually get out?

Governors can issue orders, but it's the people you'll never hear about who effect change.

www.sacbee.com/politics/s...289973.html