Caltrans Employees: Helping Californians Help Themselves

Fun gotcha TV news attack from CBS Los Angeles on a couple of CalTrans employees who are traced by TV cameras variously spending time at a Montessori school they own, going to a masseuse, shopping and taking kids to school, and moving hay in possible service of a side contracting job--while on the clock for the state and using a CalTrans truck. One is earning around $90K from the taxpayers, the other over $100K.

It's fun, but of course the real hit to the taxpayers comes not from CalTrans employees not doing their job, but from when they do, when that job includes building terribly expensive and not-terribly-useful "high speed rail."

Reason on CalTrans.

Comments

[Dweebston]

I predict CalTrans shuffles these two out of the way, hires more discrete replacements. Net jobs lost: -2.

[SweatingGin]

And then quietly hires them back because the Union says they were setup.

[Dweebston]

I doubt they'll be fired, just shuffled to some other division. If even that.

Also, CBS hilariously insinuates one of the employees received "erotic massages" from a spa coincidentally targeted by vice cops. For once, journalistic shenanigans I can stand behind.

[fish_remote]

I predict CalTrans shuffles these two out of the way, hires more discrete replacements. Net jobs lost: -2.

Help me with your math.

Shuffle two out of the way: No loss of valiant California public servants

hires more discrete replacements: +2 jobs

How is this not anything but a boon for the economy?

/krugman

[Dweebston]

Precisely. In fact, taxpayers should moonlight as CalTrans employees rather than the other way around. Imagine the cash infusion into the moribund Californian economy.

[Mad Scientist]

CalTrans currently has a hiring freeze. They'll move these guys to another department and shuffle in two more from somewhere else.

[UnCivilServant]

It's a state agency. a "Hirign Freeze" means "People who do real work can't be hired, patronage appointees with made up jobs can". These two sound like patronage schlubs to me. There might be some new lines on the org chart, but nothing will change on the ground.

[Lord Humungus]

now I won't feel so guilty taking an extra 10mins during my lunch break.

[Sam Grove]

Transportation departments are notorious for, uh, low productivity.

[chat sohbet]

I really love coming here to have a very good blog chat