Your Measure D Tax Dollars Hard at Work for Personal Use

Think of how much time and money you could save if you could use a State-owned car to go home and to the bank, post office, hardware store, and take your wife and kids and pets shopping, to school and to the doctor or veterinarian, even during work time? During 1996-2008, at least two local Caltrans employees did not own any personal vehicle, and one high school graduate employee, Gary McSwane, was driving a State vehicle home even though he has been a Caltrans office worker for over 10 years. Some workers at the office are allowed to drive trucks home as far away as Simi Valley, on a daily basis. Therefore these people drive free, using State Vehicles paid for by our gas taxes.
caltrans truck hiding Caltrans Vehicle Use Caltrans Vehicle Use

The above photos show a Caltrans consultant checking his mailbox about 12 miles from his office, and Michael Mortensen's Caltrans vehicle with a baby seat used to carry his child, with room for his wife. Mr. Mortensen's whole family has apparently not owned a single vehicle for at least 15 years, and has typically recorded 50-100 miles a day driving orange trucks around Santa Barbara and home to transport his wife, children, groceries, etc. Such State employees have been seen running personal errands on a regular basis using State vehicles, State gasoline and even State time, using your tax dollars for their personal use.
caltrans truck hiding Caltrans Vehicle Use Caltrans Vehicle Use

Supervisors Alan Haag (Senior Engineer), Les Mikio Inagaki (Senior Engineer), Jeffrey Abercrombie (Area Manager) were shown photos in 2007 of this malfeasance, and Dolores Valls (Office Chief) and Larry Barnes (investigator hired by Caltrans) were informed, however as of 2009, it continues and the management continues to cover up and participate in this waste of your tax money.
Caltrans Vehicle Use Caltrans Vehicle Use

For years the Caltrans engineer, Arvinderpal Singh Gill, arrived to work about 90 minutes late and left work early on a daily basis to take his child to and from school in the above State vehicle, on State time with State gas. Although a coworker informed 3 supervisors about this problem and the effects on construction work that it was causing, the supervisors Alan Haag, Les Mikio Inagaki and Jeff Abercrombie covered up the evidence and fired the "whistleblower" despite his 17 years of commended state service. Meanwhile, the "chauffeur" engineer Gill, has now been promoted to a Senior position in which his work hours are whatever he writes down, and he has the power to increase payments to contractors for highway construction contracts, and also to hire consultants from his friend's company at a high cost to the State.
Caltrans Vehicle Use Mortensen

In March 2009, when Mr. Mortensen was again seen transporting two children in an orange Caltrans truck, he attacked the witness for photographing the event, as shown above.

These public servants seem to feel entitled to use State vehicles for their personal use, and Caltrans supervisors continue to cover up and participate in this malfeasance, wasting our tax money. We encourage you to ask your public officials why they allow this to continue during poor economic times.


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