
In the continuing saga of CEO Tom Mauk and his love affair with doing business under-the-table, or at least “off the books.” I present to you the latest response from CEO Community/Media Relations person Pat Markley to my request for a simple explanation of how and why $36,800 in funds allocated to the Health Care Agency were spent to provide staff support to the POLITICAL OFFICE OF SUPERVISOR JANET NGUYEN when she had a perfectly good, adequate, and fully funded, budget of her own.
Dear Chris,
I am responding to your remaining question from your January 17th email about the budget and the temporary loan of a position from HCA to the First District.ÂÂ
The loaned HCA position was charged to the County General Fund, not against any non-County funding source. ÂÂ
It was not necessary for formal budget action because it was a temporary loan to meet a short term need.ÂÂ
In addition, CEO Tom Mauk makes it a top priority to ensure that Board Offices can effectively serve their constituents and that is what was done here.ÂÂ
From my responses to your 10 email requests for detailed information or formal Public Records Act requests since December 12th, numerous hours of County staff time has been used to answer your questions and we are confident that we have provided you timely, complete and accurate responses.ÂÂ
I hope this response clears up your remaining question from January 17th.
Pat Markley
CEO Community/Media Relations
County of Orange
In short Pat, NO. You haven’t managed to do anything but make things less clear. Let’s recap; we’ve gone from:
“The transition costs were handled in the normal budget process and the position was loaned at the discretion of the CEO and the funding will be handled in the normal budget process.”
to…
“It was not necessary for formal budget action because it was a temporary loan to meet a short term need.”
And Pat Markley wonders why I keep asking detailed questions?
It is more difficult and takes far more paperwork to move a piece of phone equipment, from the desk of a Secretary recently reassigned because of the HCA budget cuts, for use by another staff member than it apparently takes for the CEO to spend $36,800 “off the books.”ÂÂ
They don’t call me a bull dog for nothing. Clearly, I’m not getting very far with CEO Mauk. Supervisor Norby’s office (Norby opened this can of worms in the first place) will only repeat what Markley has said. And Andrew Do, Supervisor Nguyen’s Chief of Staff, won’t answer my calls or emails? Click on the following link for more of our coverage of this story.
I wonder if there is some other government official I should be calling about this?
Chris,
The fact that Janet’s office refuses to return your calls and email’s is yet another reason why Janet should be replaced. They should at least make an attempt to explain themselves. They fact that they don’t is a clear demonstration of their arrogance. Keep up the good work.