SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — State Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee announced today that he will hold an oversight hearing on Monday, October 31 at 10 a.m. in room 3191 in the State Capitol. See attached Agenda.
“In August, I sought answers regarding millions of dollars in Federal stimulus funds that had not been spent to create jobs in California,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “With California’s unemployment rate still one of the highest in the country, I want to find out if progress has been made to use these funds in achieving ARRA’s goal of immediate job creation and economic stimulus,” said Senator Alex Padilla.
The oversight hearing is a follow-up to one held by Senator Padilla in August that sought answers from officials of the California Department of Community Services and Development (DCSD) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) in response to California State Auditor reports which concluded that more than $280 million dollars provided to California through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for energy efficiency programs were at risk of reverting to the federal government because of delays and other challenges with program implementation by both agencies and their contractors. Each program was the subject of a prior State Auditor report.
Signed into law on February 17, 2009, ARRA was a $787 billion stimulus package hailed as the most sweeping financial legislation enacted in our nation’s history. It was enacted to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery. To achieve these goals, ARRA grant recipients are required to spend the funds within 36 months of the effective date of the awards.
When: Monday, October 31, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: California State Capitol, Room 3191
Who: Senator Alex Padilla (Chair) and members of the Senate Energy Committee
Jason Wimbley, Manager, Energy & Environmental Services Division
Department of Community Services and Development?
Robert Oglesby, Executive Director, California Energy Commission
Witness, Local Government Commission
Witness, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Ted Park, Deputy Director, Real Estate Services Division, Department of General Services
Senator Alex Padilla represents more than 850,000 residents of the 20th State Senate District which includes most of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.
