 Mr. President, Mr. President Pro Tem, Mr. Speaker and Members:
It is indeed an honor for me to be here today and let me assure you I am
looking forward to meeting with you not only jointly but also as individuals as
collectively we work together to meet and solve the tremendous problems that
confront this great and growing state.
The people of California last fall took a major step in helping the executive
and the legislative branches deal with these problems.
Just as it was necessary to revise and revamp the Constitution to allow the
Legislature the opportunity to function better and more efficiently, so do I
believe that substantial reorganization of the executive branch is necessary if
we are to serve the people efficiently and economically.
The state government has increased in size enormously in recent years. It is
my intention to reduce the executive branch as much as is consistent with the
effective provision of needed governmental services.
The agency plan adopted in 1961 was designed to enable the Governor to
transmit his policies to the many agencies of the state government effectively
and quickly and to ensure that those policies would be adopted in a coordinated
way. These results have not been achieved.
The only way governmental services can be provided in a useful, effective and
economical way is through coordinated action of a unified, well-organized
executive branch carrying out policies established after proper consultation
with all who are affected. Our executive branch cannot operate in this way
unless the many agencies, bureaus and departments are grouped together in a
logical manner and their day-to-day activities are coordinated by executives
operating out of the Governor's office.
I also believe that far more effective fiscal control and management can be
obtained if we have a Director of the Budget working out of the Governor's
office, performing overall review of programs, budgets and expenditures.
It is my hope, too, that such an officer will speed adoption of program
budgeting by all agencies so that we will have a far better idea of how much
particular activities of government are costing the state on a year-to-year
basis, and whether or not we might not obtain more for our money.
I am convinced both by the unanimity of the recommendations that have been
made over the years and by the logic of the proposal itself that we should
consolidate all of our tax collecting agencies into a responsible, streamlined
Department of Revenue with a director appointed and removable by the Governor
and removable for cause by the Legislature.
Proposition 1-A, which was adopted by the voters by an overwhelming margin,
authorized the Legislature to grant to the Governor the duty to draft plans to
reorganize the executive branch of the state, and it is my earnest hope that the
Legislature will adopt legislation allowing us to proceed with this vitally
needed work as soon as possible.
I recommend that we follow the Hoover Commission model under which these
reorganization plans, once drafted, will take effect unless disapproved by a
vote of both houses of the Legislature. |
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