{"id":458388,"date":"2025-03-12T07:37:03","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?p=458388"},"modified":"2025-03-12T07:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:37:10","slug":"doge-efficiency-california-government-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_zh\/commentary\/2025\/03\/doge-efficiency-california-government-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"California doesn’t need DOGE, but there’s plenty of wasteful spending and bureaucracy to cut"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u5609\u5bbe\u8bc4\u8bba<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zac<\/figure>
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Zac Townsend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zac Townsend is the CEO of Meanwhile. He was previously the inaugural chief data officer of California under Gov. Jerry Brown and the chief technology officer of Newark, New Jersey, under then-Mayor Cory Booker.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency, known shorthand as DOGE, launched under President Trump in January<\/a> and since has sent shockwaves through Washington and the rest of the country. As California\u2019s former chief data officer<\/a>, I\u2019ve watched this experiment with a mix of alarm and reluctant admiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOGE\u2019s methods \u2014 unilateral power grabs, reckless data access and a cavalier disregard for legal boundaries \u2014 are a masterclass in what not to do. Yet its core aim, slashing wasteful spending and forcing accountability on a bloated bureaucracy, is a goal no serious leader can ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

California, with its $322 billion budget<\/a> \u548c perennial fiscal crises<\/a>, desperately needs a similar reckoning. Any candidate for governor in 2026 must embrace this challenge \u2014 not with Musk\u2019s sledgehammer, but with a scalpel guided by data and transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOGE\u2019s rollout has been a circus. Shutting down entire agencies like USAID overnight, seizing control of Treasury systems that hold sensitive taxpayer data, and wielding AI to slash budgets without congressional oversight isn\u2019t reform, it\u2019s chaos. Lawsuits piling up<\/a> from unions and states underscore the legal quicksand Musk has stepped into. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

California cannot afford such recklessness. Our state\u2019s challenges, such as wildfire<\/a> recovery, housing shortages and Medi-Cal expansion<\/a>, demand precision, not a billionaire\u2019s blunt force trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But let\u2019s not kid ourselves: California\u2019s government is rife with waste. As a state data official, I saw firsthand how departmental silos obscure spending, how outdated systems hide inefficiencies, and how fraud festers in a budget so vast it defies comprehension. The Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office<\/a> routinely flags billions in questionable allocations, yet we rarely see follow-through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOGE\u2019s aim to save taxpayers money resonates here, where taxes soar and deficits loom. The idea of a top-to-bottom audit of every department isn\u2019t radical \u2014 it\u2019s overdue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What California needs is a smarter playbook. We can look to Maryland, where then-Gov. Martin O\u2019Malley implemented StateStat<\/a> nearly two decades ago (now called the Performance Improvement Office<\/a>), or Washington with Results Washington<\/a> \u2014 both data-driven systems that tracked the performance of agencies in real time. From crime rates to infrastructure delays, these platforms create accountability, cut costs and delivered results, without burning the house down.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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Gavin Newsom has grown California’s government to a record size. Now he, too, is selling ‘efficiency’<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Alexei Koseff<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n

California could build its own version: a government-wide dashboard exposing spending, outcomes and inefficiencies for all to see. Pair that with a full audit \u2014 independent, rigorous and public \u2014 and we\u2019d have a blueprint to root out waste and fraud without Muskian theatrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u8fd9 2026 gubernatorial race<\/a> is the moment to demand this. Candidates can\u2019t just tinker around the edges with feel-good promises. Our budget isn\u2019t just gigantic \u2014 it\u2019s a labyrinth. Medi-Cal alone, at\u00a0$161 billion annually<\/a>, begs for scrutiny. Are we overpaying providers? Are duplicated services draining funds? What about the California Department of Transportation, where highway projects balloon past deadlines and budgets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A StateStat model, backed by an audit, could answer these questions and potentially save billions of dollars that we could redirect to schools, housing or tax relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics will cry that this is austerity in disguise. It\u2019s not. Efficiency isn\u2019t about slashing services \u2014 it\u2019s about ensuring every dollar delivers. When I oversaw California\u2019s data strategy, we uncovered redundancies that could\u2019ve funded entire programs if redirected. Fraud, too, isn\u2019t a victimless crime<\/a>; it siphons resources from the vulnerable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any governor who ducks this fight is complicit in the status quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOGE may be a cautionary tale, but its ambition should wake us up. California\u2019s next governor must wield data, not headlines, to tame our sprawling government. A full audit, a StateStat-like system and a relentless hunt for waste aren\u2019t optional \u2014 they\u2019re the price of leadership in a state stretched to its limits. Voters should settle for nothing less.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t

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This would be ‘devastating’: California sues to stop Trump’s chaos-inducing funding freeze<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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California fails to track its homelessness spending or results, a new audit says<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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