(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation (HJTF) today released the fifth annual California Piglet Book, the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government. 

The waste, fraud and abuse listed in the 2007 California Piglet Book totals more than $3 billion and includes egregious examples such as:

• A hospital wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on extravagant, unneeded luxuries while falling deeper into debt;
• The Berkeley Housing Authority subsidizing rent for dead tenants;
• Southern California Metropolitan Water District ratepayers spending millions to subsidize a local “Water Museum,” then seeing rates increase;
• Non-functioning automated toilets flushing away millions of taxpayer dollars;
• Benefits given to a dead water district employee;
• “Trees for a Green L.A.” taking 3 ½ years to plant a third of its goal for one year, at double the cost;
• An L.A. housing project bringing in a Zen priest to help with conflict management;
• Ineligible prison inmates receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in state and federal benefits;
• Shasta County offering ‘pet care benefits’ to employees; and
• The Mira Costa College President spending six figures to investigate the theft of a $300 tree.

“The billions of dollars of waste, fraud, and abuse mentioned in this year’s Piglet is simply further evidence of the continued need for additional transparency on all levels of government. This scrutiny will be especially important this year as California deals with a potential $10 billion budget deficit and additional billions worth of unfunded pension liabilities,” said HJTF President Jon Coupal.

“California should adopt a Funding Accountability and Transparency Act – legislation that would create a Google-like search engine and database to track state grants, contracts, and earmarks,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “With private sector expertise and the help of nonprofit organizations such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation, citizens could analyze every nook and cranny of the California budget to ensure that every tax dollar is accounted for and follow up to make sure the waste is eliminated.”

The California Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, with HJTF’s knowledge of the California state budget.  The report exposes areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and taxpayers.

The report is available online at www.cagw.org and www.hjtf.org.  For answers to further questions, to schedule an interview, or to order a hard copy, please contact Alexa Moutevelis (202-467-5318, amoutevelis@cagw.org) or David Wolfe (916-444-9950, david@hjta.org). 

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.  The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation is dedicated to the protection of Proposition 13 and promoting taxpayers' rights.