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Caltrans, LAO clash over capital outlay support staffing; Caltrans disputes data and scale of cuts
Summary
Caltrans disputed a Legislative Analyst’s Office recommendation to slash thousands of capital outlay support positions, saying the LAO’s analysis relies on a short‑term view of a multi‑year workload; Caltrans and the LAO will be asked to discuss the issue at the commission’s June meeting.
Caltrans officials pushed back on a Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) recommendation to cut thousands of capital outlay support (COS) positions, arguing the LAO’s numbers rely on a year‑to‑year snapshot and understate the department’s multi‑year workload.
"The LAO recommended decreasing COS staff by about 3,500 positions," Caltrans fiscal lead Stephen Keck told the commission. Keck said Caltrans already reduced COS by about 3,200 positions since the Proposition 1B era and that workload planning must reflect the multi‑year lifecycle of projects—from planning through construction and post‑construction.
"We very much disagree with this," Keck said, describing the LAO’s figure as based on a peak‑year comparison that does not account for work already scheduled across many years. Caltrans recommended a more modest staffing reduction of 210 full‑time equivalents in its spring budget proposal; both houses of the Legislature approved Caltrans’ request for the May revision, Keck said.
Caltrans also referenced a prior Bureau of State Audits review (2007) when responding to LAO concerns about Caltrans data, saying the auditors found the budget requests had been "accurate and adequately supported." Norma Ortega, Caltrans, briefed commissioners on other department matters during the meeting and said the department will continue implementation of stormwater permits and monitor associated costs.
Commissioners asked that Caltrans and the LAO appear together at the June commission meeting to discuss the report and the data underlying staffing recommendations. "I think there's value to have you, and the LAO, whoever wrote the report for the LAO, with us, and we could discuss it together," said the commission chair.
