In a desperate cost-cutting move, California Governor Jerry Brown is disconnecting 48,000 cell phones used by state employees.
He’s cutting off Californians’ cell phones? Why this is outrageous. It’s a violation of their civil rights. Next thing you know, he’ll cut off their no caf, non-fat, extra shot, double lattes.
The Los Angeles Times has the cell phone specifics:
Alarmed at discovering that the state pays for 96,000 cellphones, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order Tuesday seeking to cut in half the number of devices being billed to taxpayers.
Requiring 48,000 cellphones to be turned in by June 1 will save the state about $20 million a year.
“It is difficult for me to believe that 40% of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cellphones,” Brown said. “Some state employees, including department and agency executives who are required to be in touch 24 hours a day and seven days a week, may need cellphones, but the current number of phones out there is astounding.”
The new governor is looking for ways to cut waste to help him dig the state out of a $25-billion budget hole, which has also required him to propose asking voters to extend some existing taxes.
While we applaud Governor Moonbeam for taking this step, we really have to wonder if the remaining 48,000 state-issued cell phones are really necessary. Can’t the state employees use their own cell phones? And do you really expect anyone to believe that they don’t use those state-issued cell phones for personal calls?
One other thing, Governor Brown. Have you heard about this Safelink free cell phone program? The state’s broke, so it would probably qualify to get those 48,000 cell phones for free.
Source: LA Times
This post was last modified on January 26, 2021
View Comments (15)
Maybe now I can afford to move back to Kalifornja...not. I've already lived through the idiocy of this kook, once burned twice shy!
The new Governor for New Mexico is doing the same thing, cutting off free cell phones for state employees! She is also looking at cutting back on the number of state vehicles, cutting back on the number of people that have a taxpayer paid for "take home" car, making cuts in many small but obvious areas that broke my state. Cut Brown a little slack here, he has to start somewhere then work his way up to the more important stuff.
No slack for Governor Moonbeam. He's also proposing huge tax increases for those of us unfortunate enough to still live in the formerly Golden State.
safe link here we come
and arnold couldn't find areas to cut? unbelievable, how poor a governor arnold was
It's a beginning, but it's a baby step when giant steps are needed. Moonbeam has to take on the public employee unions and that's going to be a nasty fight.
Credit where credit is due, yes. But when is he going to petition the Feds to take away all the federally supported cellphones from the illegal aliens?
Well... I ain't going to hate... that is good... but he didn't go too far.
Credit where due. A cut is a cut. Awnold should have thought of it.
Big Al
The Mayan priests consulted by Brown's astrologers have not approved the rotary technology for a post 2012 world.
Please do not reply to this. I am reading your mind as we speak.
Of course Some People would need state cell phones for certain jobs that require good communication. I would think the state gets a heck of a Friends and Family or business plan deal though what with having 96,000(!) people on the payroll, but, it's government, so the state probably negotiated to pay twice as much as a regular citizen would pay.
On that note, my neighbor works for a road work/driveway paving, etc, company. He loves getting government contracts because they pay 3x as much as regular contracts. My friend always underbid the other contractors for his welding company since even being the lowest bid on a public job still paid more than private jobs did.
One more way the Davis-Bacon Act screws all of us.
Get Moonbeam a rotary.
How about some tin cans and lots of string.
Nah Big Al! Moonbeam has his hangups. He's getting fat, too. I guess no more exercise with Linda Rohstadt.