Brown’s Reorganization Plan Approved by Little Hoover Commission
On Tuesday, the Little Hoover Commission unanimously approved Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) government reorganization plan, the Sacramento Bee's "The State Worker" reports (Ortiz, "The State Worker," Sacramento Bee, 5/22).
Brown said the commission's 7-0 vote moves California "one step closer to a more streamlined state government" (Imperial Valley News, 5/22).
Background
Brown has said the regulatory structure of California's government is disjointed, noting that many unrelated departments are housed together -- such as the Department of Managed Health Care and Caltrans -- while many related programs are spread out among different agencies.
He said his reorganization plan would save taxpayers money by reducing duplicative functions.
Reorganization Plan Details
The plan would reduce the number of state agencies from 12 to 10 by consolidating some departments and eliminating others.
Among the changes included in the plan is the creation of the Government Operations Agency to manage CalPERS, the State Personnel Board and several other related agencies, according to California State Legislature Chief Consultant Toni Symonds.
The reorganization plan also would make the California Emergency Management Agency a new office that reports directly to the governor.
Next Steps
The plan automatically will take effect 60 days after the commission makes its recommendations unless a majority in either the Assembly or the Senate votes to reject it (California Healthline, 4/3). There is no indication of significant opposition to the plan in the Legislature ("The State Worker," Sacramento Bee, 5/22).Â
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