03/26/2009 GAAS:118:09 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version |
Governor Schwarzenegger Creates California Recovery Task Force
Puts Team in Place to Navigate Federal Funding, Ensure Efficiency, Accountability and Transparency
With an
estimated $85 billion in federal economic stimulus headed toward California
over the next two years, Californians expect the state to track those dollars,
seize as much as possible, use the funding effectively and ensure that spending
is done with transparency and accountability. To that end, the Governor today
announced the creation of the California Recovery Task Force.
The Task Force
will be charged with tracking the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
funding coming into the state; working with President Barack Obama's
administration; helping cities, counties, non-profits, and others access the
available funding; ensure that the funding funneled through the state is spent
efficiently and effectively; and maintain a Web site that is frequently and
thoroughly updated for Californians to be able to track the stimulus dollars.
"With
our state's 10.5 percent unemployment rate, there is no better time to seize as
many of the available federal economic stimulus dollars as possible to help our
unemployed, put people to work, and provide tax relief to Californians," said
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "This Task Force will keep track of all of the
dollars coming into the state and ensure that Californians see how effectively
those dollars are being spent."
The
Task Force formalizes the administration's work that has been ongoing even
before the passage of the ARRA. Cynthia Bryant, Deputy Chief of Staff to the
Governor and Director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, will
lead the Task Force and serve as California's liaison to the federal government
on the Recovery Act. Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Finance Ana
Matosantos will be deputy coordinator of the Task Force, tracking the money
coming into the state and the guidelines for competing for those funds, as well
as serving as a liaison to the Obama administration. Fred Klass, Chief
Operating Officer of the Department of Finance, will oversee accountability and
auditing functions of the Task Force. Teri Takai, California's Chief
Information Officer, will oversee information and transparency; Luis Portillo,
Director of the Governor's Constituent Affairs office, will serve as public
liaison; and Jeffrey M. Barker, Chief Deputy Director of Communications to the
Governor, will serve as the Task Force's communications director.
"If
used efficiently, the Recovery Act dollars coming into California will be an
instrumental part of getting our state back on track," said Task Force
Coordinator Cynthia Bryant. "With dozens of streams of funding and myriad
guidelines and deadlines to meet, this Task Force will make certain that California
is tapping into all available federal funding."
Bryant
and Matosantos earlier this month participated in the White House's Recovery
Act Implementation Conference in Washington D.C.
Additionally,
the Task Force will include one representative from the administration for each
of the main program areas through which the federal funding will flow. They are
as follows: Health & Human Services/Health IT: Joe Munso, Undersecretary of
the Health & Human Services Agency; Transportation: Will Kempton, Director
of Caltrans; Housing: Lynn Jacobs, Director of the Housing & Community
Development; Energy: Todd Ferrara, Deputy Secretary Resources Agency;
Environment/Water Quality: Patty Zwarts, Deputy Secretary of Cal-EPA; General
Government: Tracy Arnold, Governor's Director for Jobs & Economic Growth;
Education: Kathy Gaither, Undersecretary of the Office of Secretary of
Education; Labor: Jaime Fall, Deputy Secretary of Workforce and Development;
Broadband: Teri Takai.
Last
week, the Web site www.recovery.ca.gov went live, giving all Californians a breakdown, by issue area, of the funding
California is estimated to receive from the ARRA. The state estimates that it
currently stands to receive approximately $85 billion from the ARRA -
approximately $50 billion in education, infrastructure and other spending, and
$35 billion in tax benefits.
To
date, $625 million in anticipated ARRA funding has already been directed to 57
transportation infrastructure projects expected to create over 11,000 jobs in
California. Additionally, the Governor launched the California Green Corps, a
program to be funded by federal economic stimulus money and public-private
partnerships to train at-risk young adults to fill jobs in California's growing
green economy. Also, California's unemployed are already receiving an
additional $25 in per week in their unemployment checks thanks to federal
funding.
The
Task Force can be reached through its Web site, www.recovery.ca.gov, or by telephone at
(916) 322-4688.
