Report I2019-4 Recommendation 5 Responses
Report I2019-4: Gross Mismanagement Led to the Misuse of State Resources and Multiple Violations of State Laws (Release Date: August 2019)
Case Number I2017-0840
Recommendation #5 To: Food and Agriculture, Department of
Association:
Take appropriate disciplinary action against the CEO, the maintenance supervisor, and all other permanent and temporary employees who engaged in the improper governmental activities that we identified.
Agency Response From October 2023
CDFA did not have any new updates to provide, and the DAA is no longer able to take any additional actions.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Resolved
Agency Response From November 2022
CDFA reported that the association ultimately issued only a letter of reprimand to the CEO and did not take any other disciplinary action. The association laid off the other involved employees at the end of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that during the 20 months between when we provided our report to the association and when it laid off the employees, the association chose to take no action against them.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: No Action Taken
Agency Response From November 2020
CDFA reported that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disciplinary process was put on hold. It stated that all of the employees referenced in the report will be laid off by the end of 2020. It provided documentation to support that several positions within the association, not including the CEO, were listed as surplus in July 2020. However, we first provided our recommendation to the association in April 2019, months before we issued our report in August 2019 and nearly a year before the COVID-19 pandemic began. This provided the association with ample time to take appropriate disciplinary action. To date, the association has merely issued an informal reprimand to the CEO and has not provided any evidence that it has taken any disciplinary actions against the other employees despite our findings and CDFA's recommendation of dismissal for the CEO, the maintenance supervisor, and Employee A, and its recommendations for suspensions and pay reductions for other employees involved.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: No Action Taken
Agency Response From May 2020
CDFA reported that it provided a memo in February 2020 to the association board outlining recommendations for all employees identified in our report. CDFA recommended dismissal for the CEO, the maintenance supervisor, and Employee A, and various other suspensions, pay reductions, and reprimands for the other employees. It instructed the association board to work with CDFA to initiate adverse actions. CDFA informed us that the association board chose to provide the CEO an informal letter of reprimand and did not indicate whether the association board took any actions against the other employees.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending
Agency Response From February 2020
CDFA reported that it planned to provide its recommendations regarding disciplinary action to the association board at the board's February 2020 meeting. It did not specify what those recommendations would be.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending
Agency Response From October 2019
In August 2019, CDFA reported that it would consult with the CEO and the board on the matter. In September 2019, it clarified that it would work with the board specifically on potential disciplinary action against the CEO. In October 2019, it stated that its human resources department had reviewed our report and was waiting on additional information from the association before it makes a recommendation regarding disciplinary action. It did not provide an anticipated completion date for this recommendation.