Brown strips cell phones from state employees

[The Northerner]

(01-11) 11:52 PST Sacramento -- Gov. Jerry Brown issued his first executive order Tuesday, taking aim at a technology that wasn't around the last time he was the state's top official: cell phones.

The governor ordered state agency and department heads to collect half of the approximately 96,000 state-issued cell phones currently in public employees' hands, a move he said will save California at least $20 million a year. Each cell phone costs an average of $36 a month, he added.

"It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with tax-payer funded cell phones," Brown said in a written statement. "The current number of phones out there is astounding."

Brown said he would like to see the number of cell phones cut by 48,000 by June 1, but said it may take a bit longer because some of those devices may be under contract with carriers. He noted that even with the reduction, one-fifth of state employees will still have cell phones.

While some state employees may need cell phones, he said, "that still seems like too much and I want every department and agency to examine and justify all cell phone usage."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/11/BA661H7E1T.DTL#ixzz1AlVpqbXc

[SpiralHawk]

1. "All your cell phones are belong to us." - The Brownster

[my2sense]

2. On a positive note

Now some employees won't have electronic leashes to them 24/7. I despised having a cell phone/pager when working.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. I agree with him...tax-payer funded cell phones? For 96,000 employees?

I remember when "The Internets" was relatively new. I worked in an I.T. department in Silicon Valley, reporting to the Director. If anyone wanted Netscape on their PC, they had to fill out a full-page "business justification" form, get it signed by their manager, and my boss.

I hope he will continue to keep whittling down the numbers. I don't think that it's unreasonable, in the current economic climate, for the users who get to keep their phones to be required to document why that's necessary.

For people who are forced to use their personal cell phones, there are expense reports. Keep track of everything. Write it down. Turn it in. Get reimbursed. End of story.

[napi21]

4. Iagree with Jerry. Some employees who are on call or needed for

emergencies shouod have them provided, but certainly not aall state employees fall into that catagory for sure! I wonder if he's looking into who has staate provided cars? A car is a very nice benie, but if your State (or business) is broke, everything must be reviewed fo necessity. It's really amasing how much $$ you can save if you really look hard!

[aquamarina]

9. they should also add meal reimbursements, expense accounts, etc.

So much waste could be eliminated if they just look for it.

[qb]

5. I'm glad as hell my employer doesn't expect me to carry a cell phone.

Keeping track of my personal cell is enough of a pain.

[Dappleganger]

6. This is good.

Dh had a job-issued phone with his last employer, but that expired when he was laid off. We had to get our own plan (hate AT&T). His new job gives reimbursement for a certain number of minutes per month--you have to turn in a bill to prove it, but use your own phone and plan. I think that works out ok for us. They also gave certain people iPod Touches so they could access email instantly in the plant, that has worked out well too. I know they use an instant message via that method.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. Where I used to work, we had designated 'on call' phones.

One number per phone and they rotated to whoever was on call every night. Saved a bunch of money AND no one needed to keep track of who they were supposed to call at what number.

[davsand]

8. Makes perfect sense to me.

I highly doubt there is a single government employee that should be dragging around a cell phone funded by taxpayers if there is a phone in their office. If legislators want to budget for their staff to have cell phones they can pay for it out of their office/staff funds.

They need to look at transportation budgets too. I'm willing to bet the car pool could be reduced a lot too.



Laura

[Arctic Dave]

10. Really? Not every government employee works in an office.

I know, hard to believe.

[davsand]

11. Excluding highway or construction crews I am hard pressed to think of too many at state level.

Maybe I'm just cranky because I work in county level government (and we have been broke a while now) but I honestly can't think of a state level job that wouldn't have a physical office someplace. How are taxpayers supposed to FIND them without an office????

IF it is an office that doesn't provide direct taxpayer service, I could see how a state would want to look at the need for that office in the face of a budget deficit like California's.


:shrug:



Laura

[Arctic Dave]

12. Fish and Game, Engineering, Fire Marshall, DEC to name a few

that work in the field here.

[napi21]

13. Perhaps those are the people who should have cells, but in all fairness,

how is a taxpayer suppose to get the cell number? I know I have no idea how to contact anyone in F&G or any of the other positions you mentioned. AFAIK no cell numbers are ever listed for any agency people.

The only time I ever got the cell # of anyone in the field of any gov't or bus. was my cable co after I pitched a fit for having to deal with morons and sent a letter to the Co. Pres. I got several calls. One from the area VP, one from the dist. mgr. and one from the head of field service ho gave me his cell # to call when the problem reoccurred. NEVER have I gotten a cell # for a gov't person!

[Arctic Dave]

15. They are not intended to be publicly known unless you

are doing business with them. They are also to keep in touch with the actual office while in the field.

[napi21]

16. Of course. Thepost I was responding to complained that the

taxpayers wouldn't be able to contct the engineers, fish & game, etc.

[roody]

14. Hooray for Jerry!

[silverlib]

17. One prime exception...

Child Protective Services case workers. Even in Texas, they are provided with a State cell phone and the number is public. These workers are in the field constantly. They are encouraged to turn it off when not on call, after hours. We tried the reimbursement route. Each case worker was allowed $50 a month, but these numbers, for obvious reasons, could not be made public. It's much cheaper and much more effective for the State to provide a separate phone for these workers. And it helps to keep children safe!

[underseasurveyor]

18. Good for you =us Jerry.

Thank You Governor Brown :applause:

[ConservativeDemocrat]

19. Democrats make the best conservatives...

Because for us, government efficiency is not all grandstanding, lies, and raiding government coffers to give corporate
welfare to the mega-wealthy. It's unfortunate that "conservative" has become completely associated with Republican
kleptocracy, at least in the U.S.

Keep blogging on, my Kucinichista friends...

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[MissB]

20. Our office has one cell to check out.

No one uses it so it's a waste of money. We are in the field a lot, but I think most folks nowadays have a personal cell. I give my work contacts my cell number, so they can call me on the weekends if necessary. I don't expect the state to cover those.