Following today’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee hearing on the inconsistent budgeting practices at the Department of Parks and Recreation, State Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), who co-authored the letter to require the audit of the department’s budgeting practices along with Assemblywoman Beth Gaines (R-Granite Bay), issued the following statement:   

“This deliberate budget shell game has been going on for years in many agencies. It cannot be tolerated anymore.

“Public officials, whether they are state employees or elected officials, are trusted stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.

“That’s why I continue to call for more oversight of state agencies and departments by the Legislature. I ask for zero based budgeting and for more legislative time to be devoted to formal agency oversight.”