I saw a cleverly-worded post on one of the blogs I read the other day. This deals with our state’s current financial woes. Personally, I think the writer is on to something the state really needs to consider before closing state parks and laying off fire and police services.
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
When I read that you plan to shut police and fire stations and release tens of thousands of criminals onto the streets to balance the state’s budget, I realized that you may be out of touch with how middle class folks manage when their expenses exceed their income. To mitigate the effects of this recession which has hit my family hard, we have reduced or eliminated all non-essential items from our budget – even worthy items. Eliminating non-essential items like cable TV and prime rib has allowed us to have money for essential items like electricity (for broadcast TV) and chicken.
Now, to save the state the cost of a budget expert, I have made a list of all non-essential state offices, departments, commissions and boards whose budgets can be reduced or entirely eliminated without harming essential state services like police, fire fighters, and prison guards. There’s no need to pay me yet for this work, since I am sending you a list of only the 106 departments from the letters “A” through “I”. When I complete my work, you can pay me. But in the meantime, you can terminate these non-essential offices, departments, commissions, and boards.
The list is below.
State Departments, Commissions, and Departments That Can Be Closed Before Fire and Police Departments Letters A through I (because they’re useless, trendy, or duplicate federal services).
Access for Infants and Mothers
Acupuncture Board
African American Museum
California Commission on Aging
Department of Aging
Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship, Office of
Agriculture, Department of Food and
AIDS, Office of
Alcoholism and Drug Programs, Department of
Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority
Analytical Chemistry, Center for
Apprenticeship Council
Apprenticeship Standards, Division of
Arbitration Certification Program
Arts Council
Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
Assembly Democratic Caucus
Assembly Republican Caucus
Athletic Commission
Barbering and Cosmetology, Board of
Behavioral Sciences, Board of
Binational Border Health, California Office of
Biodiversity Council
Biogeographic Data Branch
Blind, Office of Services to the
Braille and Talking Book Library
Building Standards Commission
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
California Exposition and State Fair
California Broad band Initiative
California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth
California Council for the Humanities
California Cultural and Historical Endowment
California Digital Library
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts
California Science Center
California Association of Counties
California State Fair
California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CWORKs)
California Volunteers
CalJOBS
Cal-Learn Program (Department of Social Services)
CalOHI (California Office of HIPAA Implementation)
CalVet Home Loan Program
Career Resource Network
Cemetery and Funeral Bureau
Central Valley Flood Protection Board
CERES – California Environmental Resources Evaluation System
Child Abuse Prevention, Office of
Children & Families Commission
Children and Family Services, Division
Children’s Trust Fund, California State
Climate Change Portal (Energy Commission)
Community Services and Development, Department of
Cosmetology, Board of Barbering and
Crime and Violence Prevention Center
Cyber Safety for Children
Data Quest (Department of Education)
Deaf Access, Office of
Debt and Investment Advisory Commission
Delta Vision
Dental Auxiliaries, Committee on
Dental Board of California
Denti-Cal
Developmental Disabilities, State Council on
Developmental Services, Department of
Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program
Education, Department of
Education, Office of the Secretary for
Education, State Board of
Educational Facilities Authority
Electronic and Appliance Repair, Bureau of
Employment Development Department
Employment Training Panel
Energy Commission
Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Office of
Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA)
eSservices Office
Fair Employment and Housing Commission
Fair Employment and Housing, Department of
Fair Political Practices Commission
Film Commission
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) California
Geologists and Geophysicists, California Board for
Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons
Governor’s Mentoring Partnership
Guide Dogs for the Blind, Board of
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Implementation, California
office of
Healthy Families Program
Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau
High Speed Rail Authority
HIPAA Implementation, California Office of
Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, Bureau of
Horse Racing Board
Housing Financing Agency
Independent Living Council, State
Indoor Air Quality Program
Industrial Relations, Department of
Infants and Mothers, Access for
Information Center for the Environment
Information Security and Privacy, Office of
Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank)
Institute for Education Reform
Integrated Waste Management Board
Interagency Ecological Program
And that’s only A through I . . .
