sidriptide
nobody of any consequence
- Location
- western massachusetts
i got this thru a land-use email network.
* * * *
Subject: [Landuse] CA wheelers,want to get REALLY pissed? Read this:
Audit: Off-roadfunds have gone off track
Here's the actual report:
http://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2004-126.pdf
And here's the article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050817-2109-offroad.html
Audit: Off-road funds have gone off track
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
9:09 p.m. August 17, 2005
SACRAMENTO - In a blistering report, California's auditor revealed
Wednesday that the state Department of Parks and Recreation has spent
millions of dollars collected from off-road enthusiasts with little to
show for those who put up the money.
Auditor Elaine Howle found that the state has committed $38 million to
buy three parcels of land that "offer little or no" benefit to the
off-roaders who pay registration fees and state gas taxes.
Howle also accused the agency that oversees off-road programs of lax
oversight of millions of dollars in grants, of at least 80 examples of
jiggering contracts to avoid open bidding and regulatory oversight,
and of misappropriations that included chartering private aircraft and
paying for articles that were never published.
The state Department of Parks and Recreation agreed with most of the
findings, but officials stressed that the most egregious miscues
occurred a few years ago under a deputy director who has left the
agency. Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said that while he accepted
most of the report's conclusions, the state's land acquisition program
is justified.
Parks Director Ruth Coleman "has said fix it - make it right. We
intend to do just that," said Roy Stearns, a department spokesman.
"It's a good program. It just needs a mid-course correction."
However, several appointed commissioners who set policy for the
program submitted independent responses, reflecting deep divisions on
a board that Howle said lacks "a shared vision." Some commissioners
agreed; others said the split represents the public's division over
off-road use.
State Sen. Bill Morrow, who lobbied for the audit, and off-road
enthusiasts praised the report.
Morrow, R-Oceanside, had endured accusations that his pursuit of an
audit was in retribution for a 1996 run-in with a parks ranger after
being caught doing "doughnuts" - tight circles at high speeds - in a
four-wheel drive vehicle that sported special Assembly plates.
"There are a lot of people who feel vindicated. Their suspicions have
been confirmed," Morrow said. "In many respects, the division got its
hand caught in the till, bureaucratically speaking."
He said he has been particularly troubled over the agency's use of
fees and taxes to buy land for other purposes.
One parcel in Sacramento County would be used as a buffer, but it is
four miles from the nearest off-road park. Another parcel in Kern
County could potentially be used to expand existing federal off-road
area, but no formal park for off-roading is planned. A third parcel in
Riverside County would mitigate off-highway vehicle damage to the
environment, but only a tiny part would be open to off-roaders.
The Sacramento County parcel has been bought; the other two are still
under consideration, but money has been set aside for their purchase.
"The off-road people had their pockets picked," Morrow said.
One of those is Jim McGarvie of El Cajon, who is vice president of the
Off-Road Vehicle Association.
McGarvie said he only had time for a cursory review, but said what
gnaws at him most are the land acquisitions and the thought of paying
extra fees for programs that do not directly benefit the sport.
"To see this $38 million spent on projects that is not going to help
off-roaders is frustrating," he said.
Parks officials defend their land-buying strategy, saying buffers and
open space are necessary to ease pressure on existing parks. For
example, urban encroachment forced the state to shrink the size of the
off-road park near Hollister.
The sport is soaring in popularity, putting more pressure on the eight
off-road parks scattered across the state, including Ocotillo Wells
and Heber Dunes east of San Diego.
Californians bought 900,681 decals required for off-road vehicles this
year - more than double the number sold in 2000. Last year, the state
recorded 3.84 million visits to the eight off-road parks. Off-roaders
pay about $50 million a year between the registration fee of $25 every
two years and through the state gas tax, according to state figures.
The audit noted that after 13 years, a nearly $600,000 grant to Los
Angeles County has apparently still not been accounted for, among many
other financial irregularities, such as shifting $3.6 million to parks
that ban off-road use.
Just as critical, Howle pointed out, the oversight commission and
department must develop a "single vision, one set of values and
similar goals" to make the program effective.
* * * *
Subject: [Landuse] CA wheelers,want to get REALLY pissed? Read this:
Audit: Off-roadfunds have gone off track
Here's the actual report:
http://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2004-126.pdf
And here's the article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050817-2109-offroad.html
Audit: Off-road funds have gone off track
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
9:09 p.m. August 17, 2005
SACRAMENTO - In a blistering report, California's auditor revealed
Wednesday that the state Department of Parks and Recreation has spent
millions of dollars collected from off-road enthusiasts with little to
show for those who put up the money.
Auditor Elaine Howle found that the state has committed $38 million to
buy three parcels of land that "offer little or no" benefit to the
off-roaders who pay registration fees and state gas taxes.
Howle also accused the agency that oversees off-road programs of lax
oversight of millions of dollars in grants, of at least 80 examples of
jiggering contracts to avoid open bidding and regulatory oversight,
and of misappropriations that included chartering private aircraft and
paying for articles that were never published.
The state Department of Parks and Recreation agreed with most of the
findings, but officials stressed that the most egregious miscues
occurred a few years ago under a deputy director who has left the
agency. Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman said that while he accepted
most of the report's conclusions, the state's land acquisition program
is justified.
Parks Director Ruth Coleman "has said fix it - make it right. We
intend to do just that," said Roy Stearns, a department spokesman.
"It's a good program. It just needs a mid-course correction."
However, several appointed commissioners who set policy for the
program submitted independent responses, reflecting deep divisions on
a board that Howle said lacks "a shared vision." Some commissioners
agreed; others said the split represents the public's division over
off-road use.
State Sen. Bill Morrow, who lobbied for the audit, and off-road
enthusiasts praised the report.
Morrow, R-Oceanside, had endured accusations that his pursuit of an
audit was in retribution for a 1996 run-in with a parks ranger after
being caught doing "doughnuts" - tight circles at high speeds - in a
four-wheel drive vehicle that sported special Assembly plates.
"There are a lot of people who feel vindicated. Their suspicions have
been confirmed," Morrow said. "In many respects, the division got its
hand caught in the till, bureaucratically speaking."
He said he has been particularly troubled over the agency's use of
fees and taxes to buy land for other purposes.
One parcel in Sacramento County would be used as a buffer, but it is
four miles from the nearest off-road park. Another parcel in Kern
County could potentially be used to expand existing federal off-road
area, but no formal park for off-roading is planned. A third parcel in
Riverside County would mitigate off-highway vehicle damage to the
environment, but only a tiny part would be open to off-roaders.
The Sacramento County parcel has been bought; the other two are still
under consideration, but money has been set aside for their purchase.
"The off-road people had their pockets picked," Morrow said.
One of those is Jim McGarvie of El Cajon, who is vice president of the
Off-Road Vehicle Association.
McGarvie said he only had time for a cursory review, but said what
gnaws at him most are the land acquisitions and the thought of paying
extra fees for programs that do not directly benefit the sport.
"To see this $38 million spent on projects that is not going to help
off-roaders is frustrating," he said.
Parks officials defend their land-buying strategy, saying buffers and
open space are necessary to ease pressure on existing parks. For
example, urban encroachment forced the state to shrink the size of the
off-road park near Hollister.
The sport is soaring in popularity, putting more pressure on the eight
off-road parks scattered across the state, including Ocotillo Wells
and Heber Dunes east of San Diego.
Californians bought 900,681 decals required for off-road vehicles this
year - more than double the number sold in 2000. Last year, the state
recorded 3.84 million visits to the eight off-road parks. Off-roaders
pay about $50 million a year between the registration fee of $25 every
two years and through the state gas tax, according to state figures.
The audit noted that after 13 years, a nearly $600,000 grant to Los
Angeles County has apparently still not been accounted for, among many
other financial irregularities, such as shifting $3.6 million to parks
that ban off-road use.
Just as critical, Howle pointed out, the oversight commission and
department must develop a "single vision, one set of values and
similar goals" to make the program effective.
