A state audit has revealed major problems with the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ BrEZe system, which is ultimately expected to cost the state $96 million, more than triple initial estimates. From Jon Ortiz at the Sacramento Bee:
“Consumer Affairs’ problems add to the state’s history of troubles with technology, which includes a failed state payroll program and computer glitches that stopped unemployment checks for thousands of Californians two years ago.
“In 2013, Consumer Affairs moved boards and commissions for registered nurses, physician assistants, doctors and respiratory care practitioners into BreEZe. Delays ensued. Some nursing school graduates, for example, lost work because the Board of Nursing fell three months behind assigning test dates. Before the online BreEZe system, the old paper process took six weeks or less.
“’The BreEZe project has been plagued with performance problems, significant delays, and escalating costs,’ State Auditor Elaine Howle stated in a letter introducing the report. ‘Consumer Affairs failed to adequately plan, staff, and manage the project for developing BreEZe.’”
A bipartisan coalition of West Coast lawmakers are urging a solution to the escalating woes at West Coast ports, citing severe economic fallout from the labor dispute. Jim Puzzanghera and Christi Parsons have the story for the Los Angeles Times.
"We believe this is the greatest threat our nation faces right now," said Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), who said businesses in his district have laid off workers because goods are not moving through the ports….
"’Nobody wins by the current situation,’ said [Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield)] who noted that farmers in his Central Valley district were losing millions of dollars daily because agricultural goods were rotting as they waited to be shipped.
"’This is something that cannot continue,’ he said.
“The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, along with other West Coast ports, will be partially shut down through Monday because shipping companies and terminal operators don't want to pay overtime to workers who they said were deliberately slowing operations.
“The union denied its members were deliberately slowing operations.”
Some members urged President Obama to intervene in the dispute, noting that he is in California today. A White House spokesman says that is unlikely. Instead, the president will meet with Silicon Valley tech innovators at a White House summit on cyber security and consumer protection.
And, speaking of President Obama, the state’s legislative analysts reported yesterday that the president’s recent executive action on immigration could cost the state big.
“The action could shield from deportation millions of immigrants who are in the country illegally, including hundreds of thousands in California. That would result in many becoming eligible for government services like public healthcare….
"’The potential fiscal impact of these actions ... is highly uncertain,’ according to legislative analysts, who provide nonpartisan advice to state lawmakers.”
Muslim leaders are calling for Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, to retract a statement she made on Twitter following the death of ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller.
Melendez tweeted “Gut wrenching news today. American Kayla Mueller murdered by Islamic savages. There MUST be consequences. MM #standupagainstIslam” on Tuesday. Some Muslims are calling the hashtag hate speech.
From Christopher Cadelago at the Sacramento Bee: “Sarah Moussa, chair of the state Democratic Party’s Arab American Caucus, said Melendez’s comments painting all members of the Islamic faith with a broad brush were ‘profoundly misguided and deeply offensive.’
“’She is a state Assembly member, and a comment like that reaches the entire nation,’ Moussa said, also noting the shooting near Chapel Hill.
“’It’s been a really sad and challenging week, and comments (like) these are very sad and concerning to us.’
“Melendez issued a statement late Thursday, but didn’t apologize.”
Over at the Political Blotter, Josh Richman finds the office of Assemblywoman Nora Campos, D- San Jose, in disarray.
“Records obtained from the Assembly Rules Committee show that since Campos, D-San Jose, took office at the end of 2010, 46 staffers have started work for her.
“About two dozen have left since Chief of Staff Sailaja Rajappan joined the office in November 2012. Former staffers say Rajappan was unduly antagonistic, dressing down aides in front of their peers for failing to meet her often-shifting demands and standards.
“’It was stifling and humorless, people always looking over their shoulder, a culture fostered by the chief of staff who actively sowed dissention and division between her own staffers,” said Steven Harmon, a former reporter for this newspaper who served as Campos’ press aide from June 2013 through his firing by Rajappan last month. Harmon said he was given no specific reason for his firing.
“’People leave generally to escape the punishing atmosphere, a culture of fear and oppressive management,’ he said.”
Looking back at the past week, it’s not hard to see who got the worst of it for our Singin’ the Golden State Blues Friday feature.
Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Compton won his race for the 64th Assembly District despite (or perhaps because of) a slimy campaign mailer depicting his opponent, Prophet Walker as a gun-waving thug. At the time, Gipson characterized the hit piece as something an overzealous volunteer had come up with on his own.
John Hrabe at Calnewsroom.com found otherwise.
“[Three] months after the election – too late to make any difference – CalNewsroom.com has uncovered the tragic irony to the infamous hoodie mailer: Mike Gipson hired Angel Gonzalez, a consultant with a criminal record of producing false and illegal mailers, to lead last-minute attacks on Prophet Walker for his criminal record.
“According to Gipson’s most recent campaign disclosure report, Gipson for Assembly 2014 made two payments totaling $7,714.00 to Angel Gonzalez on October 28 for campaign literature and mailings…
“’Mike had told me repeatedly that he orchestrated that photoshopped piece and that he sent it out on his own,’ [Josh Pulliam] Gipson’s lead consultant, said. ‘But now he has admitted the fact that he hired a consultant to send out that horrific mailer, and that he lied to me about it, my professional relationship with Mike Gipson is now over.’”
Ouch.