I was surprised last week when County legislative analyst Allan Krauter issued a press release announcing a proposed county "hiring freeze."

I thought — correctly it seems — that there already is one.

I called Krauter and asked him how this hiring freeze was different than the one put in place by a unanimous vote of county supervisors on April 22. His answer: it isn't different — the county just wanted the public to be aware that the county was tightening its belt.

A prudent move for a local government — showing fiscal restraint when state legislators are handing out raises to staff and bikering over Democratic/Republican ideaology rather than fixing the $40 billion hole in California's budget .

When Supervisors listened to Errea's report Tuesday, they asked him why they needed to vote on a hiring freeze. Didn't he already have the authority to veto any new job or major purchase that wasn't critical to county operations under the April 22 freeze?

The answer from Errea was "Yes."

So supervisors took no action on the proposed "freeze." They didn't need to.

I asked Errea after the meeting why he wrote up an agenda item with a proposed action to create a hiring freeze that already existed.

He acknowleged there was no difference between the April 22 "restricted hiring" program and the "freeze" he put on the agenda Tuesday.

He just wanted to make sure, going forward, that supervisors were aware he was going to be using the authority they've given him far more often and more forcefully.

Errea is being a prudent bureaucrat and making sure it is clear that he has the authority to lock down county spending.

But it wasn't surprising that people got a little confused.

 

Kern County Supervisors approved a two month "Public Education and Enforcement Team" pilot program in the Kern County Animal Control Department.

They refused to give the department new money for staff for the program or make the pilot program at least six months long.

Animal Control Director Guy Shaw told Supervisors they could make $173,560 in new revenue, above and beyond the cost of hiring three new staff members for a one year pilot program.

But supervisors are worried about budget troubles and didn't want to take the risk.

The PEET program will start in February.

Former First 5 Kern executive director Steve Ladd will be paid $11,500 by the agency to settle legal claims that he was shorted $18,000 in benefit pay he earned during 19 weeks he was on vacation after being terminated without cause in April 2007.

See the story here.

Ladd was paid 12 months of salary — around $120,000 — as a severance package from his job.

The $11,500 is in addition to that amount

Ladd left the agency amid controversy over the way agency contractors were spending tobacco tax funds aimed at helping children.