TAX BYTES

FISH STORY

An employee of the Department of Fish and Wildlife collected $234,717 in extra pay by exaggerating his prior experience in order to get a promotion.

A GREAT COMMUTE

Caltrans paid $41,695 in improperly approved travel expenses, including $6,461 for meals and “incidentals,” to an employee who worked in Sacramento but commuted from San Diego.

ANALYZE THIS

An employee of the Department of Business Oversight was promoted to a new position as an analyst after doing very well in the job interview. A department manager gave her the interview questions in advance.

DRIVEN TO A
LIFE OF CRIME

A manager at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation used state vehicles for his personal commute to the correctional facility where he worked, putting more than 40,000 miles on the vehicles and costing taxpayers an estimated $22,585. The state auditor also identified five more managers and supervisors in the department who routinely used state vehicles for commuting, costing taxpayers another $58,000.

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

An administrator in the education program at Valley State Prison watched thousands of Internet videos on his state-issued computer during work hours. The videos were not related to his work.