Imperial Valley News

Sacramento, California - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today added an additional accountability measure to help ensure federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars are spent efficiently when they come into California.

Through his Recovery Task Force, the Governor has initiated thorough readiness reviews of the management and money practices of six state entities slated to receive large amounts of Recovery Act dollars. The Employment Development Department, California Energy Commission, Caltrans, Department of Community Services and Development, Office of Planning and Research, and the State Water Resources Control Board will all be reviewed by auditors from the Office of State Audits and Evaluations (OSAE), within the Department of Finance.

“There is nothing more important here than making sure Recovery Act dollars are being used as the people expect - to create jobs and boost our economy as quickly as possible,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “And that process starts even before the money comes to our state.”

The entities will be audited to evaluate their readiness to receive the Recovery Act funding, which in many cases is significantly more money than the entity typically manages.

“We will audit and track Recovery Act dollars at every stage in this process, working with the Legislature and Inspector General Chick,” said Fred Klass, deputy director in the Department of Finance and Recovery Task Force member overseeing accountability measures. “We thought it important to start the process of ensuring the efficient use of these dollars even before they reach our bank accounts.”

Governor Schwarzenegger created the California Recovery Task Force to track the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding coming into the state; work with President Barack Obama’s administration; help cities, counties, non-profits, and others access the available funding; ensure that the funding funneled through the state is spent efficiently and effectively; and maintain a Web site that is frequently and thoroughly updated for Californians to be able to track the stimulus dollars.