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Sorry Stuff Lovers: Brown Says So Long to State "S.W.A.G."
How many free logo-ed pens does one person need? (Photo by Dawn Endico via Flickr)
Governor Jerry Brown isn't kidding on getting California's spending under control. On the chopping block today: All those thingamajigs and doo-dads and logo-covered crappola that gets given away for free and is purchased with taxpayer's dollars. Among the "Stuff We All Get," aka "S.W.A.G." that has been slashed from the books include flashlights, pens, hats, shirts, coffee mugs, keychains, squeeze toys, and ashtrays, according to Brown's office.
Brown says he wants "not a cent of taxpayer money" spent on these "unnecessary items, most of which likely end up in landfills."
Just how much money was wasted on "S.W.A.G." in the state lately? Try $7.5 million between 2007-2010.
The Governor's office issued a breakdown of state agency "S.W.A.G" expenditures from 2007 to 2010:
- Business, Transportation & Housing Agency: $5,088,037.00
- State and Consumer Services Agency: $1,154,960.00
- Health and Human Services Agency: $778,678.00
- Department of Food & Agriculture: $175,530.00
- Labor and Workforce Development Agency: $129,012.00
- California Volunteers: $77,387.00
- Environmental Protection Agency: $48,317.00
- Emergency Management Agency: $41,810.00
- Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: $12,201.00
- Department of Veterans Affairs: $4,968.00
Total: $7,510,900.00
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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