OC Politics Blog | Category Archives: Caltrans

Moorlach’s new bill will shift road funding and duties from Caltrans to the Counties

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Editor Posted in California, Caltrans, John Moorlach, Republican Party, Traffic, Transportation Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 21, 2016

In Wake of Caltrans #BigLie Scandal, Sen. Moorlach Introduces Bill to Shift Road Funding/Duties to Counties

State Auditor Finds Caltrans Misled the Legislature for 7 Years About Implementing Efficiency Measures

Auditor: Caltrans Has Little & Often No Cost Controls on Projects
Auditor: 62% of Caltrans Projects are Over Budget
California Pays the 5th Highest Per Mile Road Maintenance, But Has Nation’s 5th Worst Roads

(Sacramento, CA) – Last week, yet another high-profile scandal involving mismanagement rocked the California Department of Transportation – Caltrans, and today Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) announced that he’s introduced Senate Bill 1141, which would launch a pilot program shifting road funds and maintenance duties from Caltrans to county governments. Continue reading→

State audit proves that Caltrans must be reformed rather than raise our taxes

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Editor Posted in California, Caltrans, John Moorlach, Republican Party Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 18, 2016

Contact Tim Clark (916) 346-6551, tim.clark@sen.ca.gov

Audit’s Findings of Caltrans “Big Lie” Means CA Must Reform Road Spending Before Considering Higher Taxes

“We don’t need to raise gas taxes to fix our roads. We need to stop letting Caltrans waste the money it already has and then lie about how that money is being used.” – Senator Moorlach

(Sacramento, CA) – The State Auditor’s latest report on Caltrans is the clearest signal yet that road funds are not being spent efficiently, nor in the highest-priority areas.

“This audit reinforces the fact that our bad roads are not a result of a lack of funding. They’re a result of a lack of competence at Caltrans,” said State Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa). “We don’t need to raise gas taxes to fix our roads. We need to stop letting Caltrans waste the road money it already has and then lie about how that money is being used.” Continue reading→

New State audit shows huge waste and inefficiency at Caltrans

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Editor Posted in California, Caltrans, John Moorlach, Republican Party Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 17, 2016

Contact: Tim Clark (916-346-6551), tim.clark@sen.ca.gov

BREAKING NEWS: New Audit Shows Huge Waste, Inefficiency at Caltrans

In Some Cases, Caltrans Doesn’t Even Know How Money Is Being Spent

According to a new audit by the California State Auditor, Caltrans’ road maintenance operations are fraught with waste, abuse, and basic fiscal malpractice.

“The audit basically found that Caltrans doesn’t even track how it spends maintenance money,” said Senator John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa). “This is more evidence that California’s road problems aren’t due to a lack of money, but rather a lack of competence at Caltrans.” Continue reading→

Sen. Huff issues a statement on possible waste, fraud and abuse at CalTrans

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Editor Posted in Bob Huff, California, Caltrans, Republican Party Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 17, 2016

CONTACT: Bill Bird @ 916-651-4029

Possible “Waste, Fraud and Abuse” at California Department of Transportation

SACRAMENTO: Senator Bob Huff (R-San Dimas) issued a statement following a report issued by the California State Auditor that criticized the Department of Transportation’s approach to highway maintenance.

“I find it troubling that this department spent $250,000 in taxpayer money to develop a budget model for maintenance funding, reported to the Legislature that the model was put into use but was, in reality, abandoned,” said Senator Huff. “The State Auditor concluded that weak cost controls put into place by the State Department of Transportation invited waste, fraud and abuse. From concerns about overstaffing to possible misuse of taxpayer money, this is a state agency that clearly needs more oversight and perhaps direct action by the Governor’s Office to ensure that taxpayer resources are not wasted.” Continue reading→

Gas tax revenue grew by $1.75B since 2008 but road spending remained stagnant

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Editor Posted in California, Caltrans, Gas Tax, John Moorlach 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sep. 9, 2015

Contact: Amanda Smith (949-223-5037), Amanda.Smith@sen.ca.gov

New Gas Tax Analysis: In 6 Years Following Great Recession, Gas Tax Revenue Grew by $1.75 Billion; Road Spending Remained Stagnant

“Governor Brown’s transportation tax proposal is really a tax to replace road funds that were diverted to cover other budget priorities.” — State Senator John Moorlach

(Sacramento, CA) – A fresh review of post-recession California budget data revealed that California’s road spending remained stagnant at roughly $10 billion per year over the past six years, while revenues from gas and diesel taxes and fees grew from $6.9 billion to $8.7 billion. Continue reading→

Another raise at overstaffed Caltrans and they want to blow $38M on an animal crossing

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Editor Posted in California, Caltrans, John Moorlach, Transportation 3 Comments

State Senator John Moorlach

#CALTRANS WATCH

2 Items From the “Only At Caltrans” Files:

FILE ITEM #1: Caltrans Engineers Get Massive Pay Raise This Week

Monday, the Governor’s office announced that Caltrans engineers will receive a retroactive 7% pay bump, which will cost taxpayers nearly $600 million over the next 4 years.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office found this agency to be overstaffed by 3,300 positions at a cost of half a billion dollars annually.
Last week, the State Auditor also found that a Caltrans engineer had golfed for 55 days while on-the-clock, and that supervisors signed off on his times sheets without verifying his actual hours. Continue reading→