Boards and commissions conduct a variety of tasks in California state government. Some simply provide advice to departments, programs, or even other boards or commissions. Some hear denial of benefit appeals. Some enact regulations and establish policy. Others are responsible for licensing and disciplining professionals such as physicians, contractors, or guide dog trainers.

Some of these boards are highly paid, earning salaries of more than $100,000 a year for only a few meetings. In fact, the 17 boards and commissions whose members are the highest paid cost the state more than $9 million in board member salaries alone. While many boards and commissions are composed of volunteer members, they often have permanent staffs, pay rent, or create other costs for the state.

While the cost of the state’s myriad boards and commissions is of concern, more important is the desire to ensure that California’s governance structure is highly accountable. The line between the Governor and the performance of executive branch functions should be as straight as possible.

When state goals are pursued through un-elected boards and commissions, government is less accountable than if the tasks had been performed directly. If a program is failing Californians, good government demands that blame be easy to affix and hard to deflect. The current structure of boards and commissions creates the opposite situation. For this reason, we pursued a comprehensive review of all boards and commissions within the executive branch.

Within the executive branch of state government, there are more than 300 boards, commissions, panels, task forces, committees and other appointed bodies. These entities are so scattered and numerous across government that arriving at a firm number is nearly impossible. In our search, there was no single source we could turn to find out which commissions existed and why. In fact, state government has no master list of all boards and commissions and the thousands of political appointees that populate them.

While boards and commissions requiring appointment by the Governor or legislative leaders are fairly easy to catalogue, many boards and commissions are appointed by the heads of agencies, departments—even by other boards and commissions.

Throughout our investigation new entities were routinely discovered. No doubt, appointed bodies remain deeply buried within the state government structure that we did not find. When they are located, they too will warrant direct evaluation.

Boards and commissions first became popular in the late 19th Century. As a response to the corrupt “big city bosses” that ruled American cities during the late 1800s and the early 1900s, reformers sought to remove power and influence over services from what they believed were the clutches of highly partisan and self-centered politicians. Instead, key government decisions would be made by boards and commissions comprised of “experts” who would supposedly apply their expertise in a neutral fashion, influenced only by what worked and what was right, or so the theory went.

The controversy surrounding the criminal trials of the officers accused of beating Rodney King and the subsequent riots provides an excellent example of how boards and commissions can insulate elected officials and confuse accountability. During the riots, former Police Chief Daryl Gates was widely criticized for failing to send in a sufficient number of police soon enough to prevent bloodshed and looting. Yet, under Los Angeles’ boards and commissions structure, neither the Mayor not the City Council—those most accountable to the electorate—could fire the Chief. That could only be done by the unelected appointees of the Los Angeles Police Commission.

While boards and commissions have in some measure successfully insulated decision-makers from politics and given a semblance of transparency and public access, the problem now is a lack of general accountability. When something goes wrong with a board or commission, the electorate feels powerless because it is powerless; there is literally no one to hold directly accountable. And transparency without accountability is a façade.

With this in mind, we evaluated the state’s governance model to determine if it still made sense. We explored opportunities for consolidation, where overlap existed. Where decisions could be more logically and appropriately made by another entity, we explored transferring functions and eliminating the board leadership. We also considered whether or not the functions of the boards and commissions were appropriate at all. Our proposal, based on this analysis, is presented below.

Importantly, eliminating a board or commission does not legally bar the government from soliciting the advice of relevant experts. Administrative agencies without statutory board or commission leadership do this all the time. They do it informally, through ad hoc consultations, or formally, through advisory boards or task forces appointed by the director of a program. When the head of an agency seeks such expertise, it will be because—as an accountable official—he or she thinks the advice is needed. It will not be because a statute passed thirty years ago forced the agency head to obtain the advice, needed or not.

As former President Ronald Reagan once observed, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Hence, an ongoing process is required to ensure that all boards and commissions, as well as other executive branch departments and functions, are subject to periodic and rigorous evaluation.

The citizens who pay for boards and commissions through taxes and fees deserve to have the efficiency and cost effectiveness of those boards and commissions tested regularly for legitimacy, accountability, customer service, innovation and resourcefulness.

While there is a Joint Committee of the Senate and Assembly newly charged with reviewing and analyzing boards and commissions on an ongoing basis, and possibly “sunsetting” them, that legislative review should be viewed as a complement, not a substitute, to this review. Both seek to ensure that boards and commissions are needed and, if needed, that they perform their functions and spend their funds efficiently, effectively and in the public’s interest.

However, the legislative sunset review process simply does not have the resources that this effort was able to bring to the task of reviewing all the state’s boards and commissions. While the Joint Committee on Boards, Commissions and Consumer Protection (“JCBCCP,” formerly known as the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee) has a full time staff of four, this effort involved over two hundred state employees. Assuming that the JCBCCP was able to review twenty boards and commissions a year—significantly more than is typical—it would take more than seventeen years to complete a top-to-bottom review of all the state’s boards and commissions.

For this reason, while the legislative sunset/sunrise review process is an essential component ensuring that boards and commissions are, on an ongoing basis, performing in a manner worthy of the public’s trust, it cannot be the exclusive process.

A total of 339 boards and commissions scattered across the executive branch were reviewed and, of those, 118 are proposed for elimination. In some cases the board or commission and its functions are both proposed for elimination. In other cases, the board governing structure is being proposed for elimination but the functions of the board are being transferred elsewhere, such as to an existing department.

CPR also identified numerous entities that are technically defunct and should, thus, formally be eliminated from statute.

A consistent and systematic framework was used as a part of this review to ensure that all analysis focused on the same goals and variables. Decision making focused on the following issues:

• What was the chief purpose for creating the board or commission?
• What are the chief powers and duties of the board or commission?
• What costs are associated with this entity?
• Are there other entities that logically should perform the functions of the entity?
• Must this duty be performed by an autonomous body?

Boards Evaluated	339
Boards Retained	222
Boards Eliminated	117
Total Number of Appointees Eliminated	1,153
Total Appointed Positions Retained	2,212

Conclusions regarding boards and commissions that are slated for elimination are listed below, as well as details about the disposition of their duties.

Eliminate the Board, which was created in 1901, and the Technical Committee because they are not needed to conduct licensing and regulatory activities of professional disciplines. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Division of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Advisory Council. The secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc committee should the need arise to confer on industry issues.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to regulate the barbering and cosmetology professions. These licensing functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s licensing and regulatory activities. The functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The relatively few appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Responsibilities for the regulation of hearing aid dispensers should be transferred to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The advisory committee should be eliminated. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if one is needed.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s regulatory and licensing functions. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Divisions of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to conducting professional licensing and responding to consumer complaints. The functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget, whose recommended decisions should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. This will promote “chain of command” accountability for the handling of this regulatory program, which has been plagued by license application backlogs and a public that widely complains about the quality and reliability of contractors.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to the performance of the program’s regulatory functions. The operations should be performed by the Commercial Licensing Division of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Committee. The new Secretary of Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint ad hoc advisory committees when the need arises.

This Council was created by Executive Order in 1998. It was charged with issuing a report on electronic commerce which it completed in 2000 and has apparently been dormant since then. Hence, it should formally be eliminated.

Eliminate the Commission. The Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

Eliminate the Board. The dispute resolution function should be handled by the parties directly. There is no need for a governmental body to take on this work. Furthermore, consumer complaint mediation should be a core function of the Office of Consumer Protection within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Board. The licensing function of boat pilots in these bays should be performed within the Division of Commercial Licensing in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The independent review of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. Decisions on these hearings should be rendered by the Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. It should also be noted that this function is a prime candidate for delegation to a local entity given the geographic limitations of the body’s focus.

Eliminate these Commissions. Oversight of private security and alarm operators should continue through the Division of Commercial Licensing within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. The independent review of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. Decisions on these hearings should be rendered by the Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Commission. The Secretary of the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee when the need arises.

Eliminate the Committee. It was created and appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture to assist the Division of Measurement and Standards. The Measurements and Standards function is transferring to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. As such, that Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to conduct professional licensing. These functions should be performed by the Division of Commercial Licensing within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Eliminate the Advisory Committee. This is a purely advisory body. The Secretary of the Department of Food and Agriculture can appoint an ad hoc committee to assist if the need arises.

Eliminate the Council, which has been in place since the 1930s, because it is no longer needed to perform regulatory and advisory responsibilities. These activities should be performed by the Division of Workforce Development within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need arises.

Eliminate the Commission, which has been dormant for a number of years. A formal commission is not required to promote favorable ties with Baja California. That can be handled by the Governor’s Office with assistance from the Secretary of Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate the Commission. This commission was inactive for nearly ten years. New appointments were made in August of 2003. Three meetings have been held and two reports issued since that time. Despite this recent activity, it is duplicative of the Economic Strategy Panel, which addresses the same issues and should continue within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate this Commission. The Commission is responsible for conducting a continuing examination of the Workers’ Compensation system and related programs to prevent on-the-job injuries and illnesses. The Commission frequently contracts out with private non profit research organizations to meet this requirement. The Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development can continue to use such organizations as the need arises.

Eliminate the Committee. The functions of promoting the employment of people with disabilities should be carried out by the Division of Workforce Development within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development. Delegating such an important goal to a separate panel actually diminishes executive accountability. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as needed to assist in this effort but should serve as the individual directly accountable for ensuring opportunities and full access to employment by individuals with disabilities.

Eliminate the Panel because it is not needed to perform job forecasting, training and advisory responsibilities. Many of its programs are duplicative of programs in other state agencies. For instance, information on labor markets is also tracked by the Employment Development Department and the Department of Industrial Relations. The functions of the Employment Training Panel should be carried out within the new Department of Labor and Economic Development and the Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory commissions as the need arises.

Eliminate the Commission. All of its functions related to preventing discrimination in housing and employment will be performed by the Division of Workplace Protection within the new Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection. Hearings on these matters should be conducted by the Office of Appeals in the Department of Labor and Economic Development. The recommended decisions resulting from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate this Commission because it is not needed to perform the Commission’s primary activity, which is to ensure that wages and working conditions are appropriate to the type of work conducted. This charge should be performed by the Workforce Protection Division of the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate these Boards. Functions related to standard-setting for the state’s occupational safety and health program should be performed by the Division of Workplace Protection within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Appeals of occupational safety decisions will be heard by administrative law judges located in the Office of Appeals within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Recommended decisions arising from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate the Board. All appeal hearings related to rehabilitation cases currently heard by the Board should be conducted by the Office of Appeals within the newly created Department of Labor and Economic Development. Recommended decisions arising from these hearings should be approved or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate the Board. The Board was a part of the now defunct Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency. Though TTCA has been eliminated the Small Business Board remains in statute and should formally be eliminated as well.

Eliminate the Task Force, which completed a report on small business-oriented reforms in May of 2002 and has not been active since the change in administration. The concerns of small business should be addressed by the new Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Eliminate these Boards. All appeal functions should continue in the Office of Appeals within the Department of Labor and Economic Development. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges there and the Secretary will render decisions on the ALJ recommendations.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to oversee air quality regulatory functions. The operations should be performed within the Division of Air Quality in the new Department of Environmental Protection. The Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee should the need arise.

Eliminate the Board, transferring the responsibilities to the existing Board of Mining and Geology, which should be placed in the Division of Land Management in the new Department of Natural Resources. The consolidation will save money through economies of scale and consolidation of overlapping areas of responsibility.

Eliminate the Commission. Primary functions, including approval of various grants and loans, should be performed by the Division of Boating and Waterways within the new Department of Infrastructure. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed for fire prevention, fire fighting, or forestry management. All operations related to fire protection should be performed by the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the new Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. All functions related to forestry management practices (timber harvesting, for instance) should be performed by the new Department of Natural Resources, including those functions performed by the Board. The Secretaries of these Departments can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises. Appeals currently heard by this Board should be conducted by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of Natural Resources should approve or reject the ALJ recommended decisions.

Eliminate the Board. Negotiations and issues related to California’s “fair share” of Colorado River water—one of the most complex and important issues confronting the state—should be handled directly by the Governor’s Office with assistance from the Secretary of Natural Resources.

Eliminate the Commission. A 2004–2005 LAO budget analysis documented that fully one half of the Commission’s non-administrative time was spent monitoring CalFED and concluded that the Commission had completed its core functions and that much of its remaining work was duplicative of the Bay-Delta Authority. The Commission also is authorized to hear land use appeals but in recent years there have been none. The remaining responsibilities should be performed within the new Department of Natural Resources with cooperation from the new Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Infrastructure.

Eliminate the Commission. All functions related to historical and cultural preservation should be conducted by the Division of Parks, History, and Culture within the Department of Natural Resources. Should the need arise, the Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee.

Eliminate the Commission and transfer all responsibilities related to the listing of historic sites, inventorying of such sites, and developing policies to ensure their preservation and rehabilitation to the Division of Parks, History, and Culture within the Department of Natural Resources. Should the need arise, the Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to deal with such matters as evaluating sites for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the California Historical Landmarks and California Points of Historical Interest registration programs.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to conduct the responsibilities of helping managing California’s solid waste stream. This function should be carried out by the new Department of Environmental Protection. Current activities of the board are either duplicative of local planning agencies (e.g., permitting of landfills) or have suffered because of the fragmented and unaccountable nature of the Board.

Eliminate this advisory council. Efforts to protect against aquatic invasive species should be coordinated through the Department of Natural Resources. When the Council was established, the legislation did not provide funding. Accordingly, the Council was never formed. The comprehensive plan it was charged with developing has been initiated by staff in the Department of Fish and Game, although it is behind schedule. Making clear that this responsibility stays with the Department of Natural Resources will make them directly accountable for a function that they are already performing.

Eliminate the Commission. Functions related to oil spill prevention and response should be performed by the new Department of Environmental Protection. The Secretary may appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises for technical advice.

Eliminate the Commission because it is not needed to carry out responsibilities related to approval of Off-Road Vehicle use in public areas. These responsibilities should be conducted directly by the Department of Natural Resources.

Eliminate this Commission as it is duplicative of other functions within state government. The three primary responsibilities of the body should be transferred to more appropriate entities, as defined below. Maritime facilities responsibilities should be transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection. Mineral leasing activities should be split. Mineral leasing activities related to energy production should be transferred to the Division of Energy within the California Infrastructure Department. Those related to non-energy commodities (gold, silver, etc.) should be conducted by the Department of Natural Resources. The land management function of the State Lands Commission should also be split to more appropriately align with departmental activities. The Division of Land Management within the Department of Natural Resources should oversee the sovereign lands portion of the portfolio. School land management functions should be carried out by the Department of Infrastructure.

Eliminate these Boards and replace them with 10 exempt officers appointed by the Governor (one to replace the state board and one to replace each regional board). The primary responsibility of the bodies for promulgating water quality regulations, implementing water monitoring programs, issuing water discharge permits and enforcing water quality regulations should be vested with the Division of Water Quality of the Department of Environmental Protection and its regional officers. Basin plans (three-year planning documents) should be developed by members appointed on an ad hoc basis for six months, after which time, having completed the plan, the group will be disbanded.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to regulate the structural pest control industry. The operations should be performed by the new Department of Environmental Protection. Independent reviews of appeals should be performed by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The resulting recommended decisions should be affirmed or rejected by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

Eliminate this Authority and transfer its responsibilities for financing facilities that use alternative sources of energy to reduce pollution to the new Infrastructure Authority within California Infrastructure Department.

Eliminate the Board. All of the duties of this Board, which was established in 1861, such as acquiring easements for flood control purposes and constructing bypasses and levees, should be performed by the new Department of Infrastructure.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to perform functions related to building standards. These responsibilities, including building standards code adoption, conflict resolution, and appeals should be transferred to the new Housing, Buildings, and Construction Division with the new California Infrastructure Department. Appeals should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure should affirm or reject recommended decisions arising from these appeals.

Eliminate the Commission. All of its functions, including programming and allocating of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements, should be assumed by the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need for such bodies arise.

Eliminate the Commission. The primary responsibilities of the commission, including regulatory approval and condemnation authority, should be performed by the California Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees if the need arises.

Eliminate the Authority. Transfer the bonding authority for energy-related infrastructure to the new Infrastructure Authority within the California Infrastructure Department. Only $28 million of the $5 billion of bond authority has been issued because of changing energy markets. The Governor’s 2004-05 budget proposes eliminating the Authority. The LAO concurs but also recommends retaining the ability to issue bonds and promote conservation.

Eliminate this Committee as functions related to state scenic highways should be performed by the California Department of Infrastructure.

Eliminate the Board. The Board has been made nearly obsolete by the energy crisis and rarely calls meetings. Remaining functions, such as representing the state in energy litigation, should be performed by the new California Infrastructure Department.

Eliminate the Commission. All of the functions of the Energy Commission should be performed by the consolidated Division of Energy within the newly created California Infrastructure Department. The Secretary can appoint ad hoc advisory committees as the need arises.

Eliminate the Commission. Transfer the responsibilities for developing a financial plan for a potential high speed rail line to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Department of Infrastructure.

Eliminate the Board, which is formulated to serve in an advisory capacity to the Public Utilities Commission on low-income energy assistance programs and serve as liaison for the Commission to low-income ratepayers and their representatives. While the PUC will retain its rate-setting functions, it is inappropriate to utilize a separate body for issues related to serving low-income residents; this diminishes accountability. The PUC should remain the entity directly accountable for the concerns of low-income ratepayers.

Eliminate this Board and transfer responsibilities for financing the building of libraries to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department.

Eliminate the Board and transfer its responsibilities to the new California Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department. The parkland acquisition function of the Board should be shifted to the Wildlife Conservation Board within the Department of Natural Resources.

Eliminate the Board. Seismic safety functions, including the review of government-funded seismic activities, should be performed directly by the Division of Housing, Building, and Construction within the California Infrastructure Department. Combining this within the Infrastructure Department will better align seismic safety efforts with infrastructure development and management efforts.

Eliminate the Board and transfer its responsibility for allocating school bond proceeds for the construction of education facilities to the new Infrastructure Authority within the California Infrastructure Department.

Eliminate the Committee and transfer the responsibilities for distributing state and federal tax credits to encourage low-income housing construction and retention to the new Infrastructure Authority within the new California Infrastructure Department.

Eliminate the Committee. The Director of the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee to carry out any remaining activities assigned to this advisory committee, which will sunset in 2006.

Eliminate the Network. The new Secretary of the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation should create a new Cabinet level working group to align education resources and programs with economic and job trend information produced by the Department of Labor and Economic Development. This transfer will keep California in compliance with federal requirements for a coordinating body.

Eliminate the Board. Responsibility for overseeing the Community College system should be assigned to the Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation.

Eliminate the Panel. Transfer responsibility for the appeal resolution process to the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. The Secretary can convene an ad hoc advisory panel if the need arises.

Eliminate the Commissions. The functions of the Postsecondary Education Commission should be conducted by the Division of Higher Education within the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. The primary task of the Quality Education Commission, the development and refinement of a successful education model, is a core function of the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. Given the Department’s integrated focus on K–12 and higher education, the Department will be better able to develop a strategy that more effectively aligns the two systems. The Secretary of the Department of Education and Workforce Preparation can also appoint an ad hoc advisory committee as the need arises.

Eliminate the Commission and Council. The Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation should be responsible for ensuring adequate financial support for students. The Secretary can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if the need arises.

Eliminate the Advisory Committee. There is no need for such a committee with gubernatorial appointments. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will be free to appoint an ad hoc committee if the need arises.

Eliminate the Commission. While the task of ensuring that policy decisions give proper consideration to the impacts they will have on older individuals is valuable, a formal commission with gubernatorial and legislative appointments is not. These functions would be more effectively and efficiently handled within the Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, individual Secretaries will be empowered to appoint advisory panels as the need arises.

Eliminate the Committee as it is purely advisory in nature. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services can establish an ad hoc advisory panel if necessary.

Eliminate the Commission because it is purely advisory in nature. The Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services can appoint an ad hoc panel if the need arises. The commission was created to address issues stemming from the 1985 elimination of the Health Facilities Commission. However, there were no action items on the agenda for any of the last three meetings held in 2003 and public participation is minimal.

Eliminate the Task Force. No appointments have been made. The Secretary of the new Department of Health and Human Services can appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if it is determined that there is a need.

Eliminate the Committee and the Panel. Most of the work is advisory. Functions related to overseeing managed health care should be shifted to the Division of Quality Assurance within the new Department of Health and Human Services, which already maintains a core competency in healthcare oversight. The Department Secretary will be free to assemble an advisory group if the need arises.

Eliminate the Board because it is not needed to ensure adequate health coverage for Californians. The various programs operated by the Board should be shifted to the Division of Health Purchasing within the new Department of Health and Human Services.

Eliminate the Commission because it is not needed to carry out functions related to negotiating contracts for health care. The functions should be carried out by the Division of Health Purchasing within the new Department of Health and Human Services.

Eliminate the Council. All matters related to establishing rural health policy should be conducted by the Division of Health Protection within the newly created Department of Health and Human Services.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to ensure an effective 911 emergency response system. The Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security is being created with the specific goal of coordinating emergency response resources. The 911 system is a key element of this emergency response infrastructure. To ensure coordination with the Office of Management and Budget (particularly the Technology Services Division), the Secretary of Public Safety, in conjunction with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should assemble an ad hoc coordinating committee drawing on the necessary range of government and nongovernmental expertise.

Eliminate the Commission and transfer functions, including review and approval of regulations to implement the Emergency Medical Services Act to the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the newly created Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The Department Secretary may appoint an ad hoc advisory committee if the need arises.

Eliminate this advisory Board, which has apparently not met in more than a year. All duties related to fire prevention and protection should be performed by the Division of Fire and Emergency Management within the new Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Eliminate the Task Force. It was required to develop and submit a report to address sexual assault on CSU and UC campuses by April 1, 2004. The report was produced and hence there is no further need for this Task Force.

Eliminate the Panel. The panel was formed to develop a report on curriculum for training to avoid racial profiling by law enforcement officers. It completed its work in 2003 and has been disbanded but is still listed in the Penal Code and should be removed.

Transfer the Board’s functions related to Victim’s Compensation to the Division of Victims’ Services within the newly created Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The Board and its role related to Government Claims should continue within the Office of Management and Budget.

Eliminate the Board. The parole review and other hearing functions of the board should be transferred to the newly established Hearings Division within the Department of Correctional Services.

Eliminate the Commission. The functions related to correctional officer standards and training should be performed by the Correctional Standards Authority (formerly the Board of Corrections). The apprenticeship program for correctional peace officers should be eliminated in its entirety.

Eliminate the Board, whose only function is advisory and nonessential to the operation of the Joint Venture program.

Eliminate the Board and transfer functions related to overseeing the “Civil Addict” program to the Department of Correctional Services.

Eliminate the Board. The Prison Industry Authority, which this board oversees, is being absorbed by the Department of Correctional Services, under the control of the Director of Adult Operations.

Eliminate the Board. The functions of the Board should be transferred to existing staff within the California Youth Authority.

Eliminate the Commission. The state does not require a commission of political appointees to oversee basketball, hockey, football or a variety of other sports that have amateur and professional organizations that oversee their operations, set their own rules, and are self enforcing. The same should be the case for the sports currently regulated by the Athletic Commission, namely boxing and martial arts. In fact, federal law specifically authorizes the Association of Boxing Commissions to oversee boxing matches in states without a commission. The small pension fund administered by the Athletic Commission should be transferred to the Retirement Benefits Division of the Office of Management and Budget.

Eliminate the Commission. The Commission was established by legislation in 1999 to prepare a report which it completed. The Commission sunsetted at the end of 2003 but should be formally removed from the Statutes of 1999.

Eliminate the Board because it is not necessary to conduct licensing functions. Very few licensees and schools that prepare individuals who train guide-dogs for the blind are regulated by the current Board. These activities should be performed within the Division of Higher Education within the new Department of Education and Workforce Preparation, which should license and oversee private higher education institutions and vocational schools.

Eliminate all these individual entities and transfer the responsibilities for the promotion and recognition of these communities to a new Governor’s Office of Community Affairs. This office should be directly accountable to the Governor for the success or failure of the programs operated by these separate agencies. It should also serve as a focal point for access to the Governor’s Office for all communities and cultures, something that is nonexistent now.

Eliminate the Commission. The major work comes from coordination with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. California can continue to participate in this national effort without appointing a separate state commission.

Eliminate the Board and transfer its authority to the newly created California Tax Commission, which should be directly responsible for the myriad of tax collecting functions currently scattered across numerous departments, including the Franchise Tax Board, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Employment Development Department.

Eliminate the Board. The functions of the Board, administering benefits to the state’s military veterans, do not require a separate board and should be performed within the new Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Appeals currently heard by the board should be heard by administrative law judges within the Office of Management and Budget. The Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs should approve or reject the recommended decisions resulting from these hearings. The Commission’s advisory function related to Veteran’s Cemeteries can be addressed though the Secretary appointing an ad hoc committee as the need arises.

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