Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

2 days ago

‘Freedom Week’: California Gun Owners Rush to Buy Ammo After Court Ruling

2 days ago

Wall Street Selloff Sparked by Trump Tariffs, Amazon Results, Weak Payrolls

2 days ago

US Construction Spending Extends Decline in June

2 days ago

Global Shares in Red After US Jobs Data, Trump’s Tariff Salvo

2 days ago

Construction of $200M Trump Ballroom at the White House to Begin in September

3 days ago

US Senate Committee Backs $1 Billion for Ukraine in Pentagon Spending Bill

3 days ago

Trump Says Mexico Trade Deal Extended for 90 Days

3 days ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

3 days ago
State Auditor Nabs Fresno State Groundskeepers for $111,000
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
July 24, 2018

Share

You’d think by now that California state employees who sleep on the job, leave their posts early or buy unauthorized stuff would realize that State Auditor Elaine M. Howle and her staff are watching.

Portrait of Elaine Howle
“Two employees at California State University, Fresno failed to perform their work duties for thousands of hours during a period of at least five years. From 2013 through 2017, these two employees failed to account for more than 5,100 hours by taking extended breaks and leaving campus without permission. This misuse of state time cost the State more than $111,000 in salary paid for work not performed.”
— State Auditor Elaine M. Howle
But state employees keep thinking they can fleece taxpayers. And they keep getting caught.
Howle issued her office’s latest “Investigations of Improper Activities by State Agencies and Employees report” July 24 and heading the list were two Fresno State employees.
“For example, two employees at California State University, Fresno failed to perform their work duties for thousands of hours during a period of at least five years. From 2013 through 2017, these two employees failed to account for more than 5,100 hours by taking extended breaks and leaving campus without permission,” Howle wrote in a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown and other state leaders. “This misuse of state time cost the State more than $111,000 in salary paid for work not performed. In addition, the employees’ managers failed to ensure that these two employees performed their work.”
Deeper in the report, the alleged offenders are identified by the auditor’s office as “two employees (who) have worked at Fresno State for more than 20 years as groundskeepers in the facilities operations department and are responsible primarily for operating small tractors, backhoes, and mowers.”
 

Fresno State Aided Probe

The report states that Fresno State assisted in the investigation and turned up a third employee — who is related to one of the offending groundskeepers — cruising on the taxpayer’s dime.
How did things turn out?
“In March 2018, Fresno State reported that since January 2018, it has required Employees A and B to report to a lead employee who will ensure that they perform their duties and account for their time. It also informed us that it issued 12-week unpaid suspensions to both Employees A and B. In addition, it stated that it investigated Employee B’s relative for time and attendance abuse and also issued a 12-week suspension to the relative after the investigation substantiated the time abuse. In May 2018, Fresno State stated that it was exploring its legal options for recovering funds paid to the employees for time they did not work.”

Auditor’s Analysis of Surveillance Records of Two Fresno State Employees

Screen capture of state auditor probe into Fresno State groundskeepers

DMV Employee Sleeps on the Job

And then there was a key data operator at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
No kidding, she literally slept on the job — possibly because of a suspected medical condition.
States the report: “(She) failed to perform her essential duties over a period of nearly four years because she slept at her desk for extended periods of time during work hours. We estimated that from February 2014 through December 2017, the employee misused more than 2,200 hours of work time as a result of sleeping on the job, costing the State more than $40,000.”

Jim Patterson
“DMV employees are likely just as frustrated as I am. I’ve had calls from several of them who are begging for accountability and change at the DMV. I expect the audit I have requested due to the exploding wait times will uncover major systemic issues that have frustrated both the customers and the employees. I hope it can be a catalyst for real change.— Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno)
This item quickly caught the attention of Fresno Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno). He is on a crusade to clean up the DMV.
“While the Auditor’s report appears to show this employee may have had a legitimate medical problem, this clearly shows there are serious issues with the management of the DMV,” Patterson said. “A supervisor allowing an employee to sleep on the job for nearly four years is an example.”
“DMV employees are likely just as frustrated as I am. I’ve had calls from several of them who are begging for accountability and change at the DMV. I expect the audit I have requested due to the exploding wait times will uncover major systemic issues that have frustrated both the customers and the employees. I hope it can be a catalyst for real change.”

No Discipline For DMV Employee

The $40,000 lost by taxpayers won’t be recovered.
In a nutshell, the employee wasn’t disciplined because her supervisors failed to properly manage her.
From the audit: “the DMV stated that in March 2018 — after the completion of this investigation — it issued to the employee a corrective memorandum that contains the necessary language that will allow it to issue an adverse action to her if she does not correct her behavior.”
You can read more of the investigative highlights at this link.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

DON'T MISS

The US Said It Had No Choice but to Deport Them to a Third Country. Then It Sent Them Home

DON'T MISS

Trump Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

DON'T MISS

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

DON'T MISS

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

DON'T MISS

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

DON'T MISS

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

DON'T MISS

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

UP NEXT

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

UP NEXT

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

UP NEXT

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

UP NEXT

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

UP NEXT

Fresno County Finds E. Coli at Avocado Lake. Don’t Swim There

UP NEXT

Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Close After Funding Cut, in Blow to Local Media

UP NEXT

Farmers in West Fresno County to Consider 200% Groundwater Pumping Fee Hike

UP NEXT

Fresno Councilmember Vang Accused of Conflict of Interest in Budget Vote

UP NEXT

Ghislaine Maxwell Moved From Florida Prison to Lower-Security Facility

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

18 hours ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

19 hours ago

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

19 hours ago

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

20 hours ago

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

20 hours ago

Hamas Says It Won’t Disarm Unless Independent Palestinian State Established

20 hours ago

Gifford Fire Grows to 23,588 Acres in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo Counties

20 hours ago

Fresno Donates Firefighting Gear to Sister City Guadalajara

20 hours ago

Corruption Scandal Puts Mexico’s President on Defense Against Trump

21 hours ago

US Judges Speak Out About Death Threats, ‘Swattings,’ and ‘Pizza Doxings’

2 days ago

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

NEW DELHI — Indian officials said Saturday that they would keep purchasing cheap oil from Russia despite a threat of penalties from Presiden...

15 hours ago

A view shows oil pump jacks outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia June 4, 2023. (Reuters File)
15 hours ago

India Will Buy Russian Oil Despite Trump’s Threats, Officials Say

A Lao man deported from the U.S. holds up his non-national ID card - a document that defines his legal status in the country he left behind decades ago, and to which he has now returned, in Vientiane, Laos, July 31, 2025. REUTERS/Phoonsab Thevongsa
17 hours ago

The US Said It Had No Choice but to Deport Them to a Third Country. Then It Sent Them Home

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on his way to New Jersey from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., August 1, 2025. (Reuters File)
17 hours ago

Trump Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

18 hours ago

Fresno’s Dog Daze Fest Returns With The Chainsmokers Headlining

After surviving more than six months alone on the streets, a 15-pound poodle mix named Willow is now safe and learning to trust humans again. (Mell's Mutts)
19 hours ago

Willow the Streetwise Poodle Mix Gets a Second Chance

California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the press after a hearing on the use of National Guard troops amid federal immigration sweeps, at the California State Supreme Court in San Francisco, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters FIle)
19 hours ago

Newsom Wants Voters to Weigh In on New Congressional Districts in November

2025 Kia Telluride is displayed during the Los Angeles Auto Show, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 21, 2024. (Reuters File)
20 hours ago

Kia America Recalls 201,149 US Telluride Vehicles

Venezuelan baseball player Abraham Gutierrez, a member of Cacique Mara, a baseball youth team that will not be participating in the 2025 Little League World Series after their U.S. visa was denied, prepares for a practice session in Maracaibo, Venezuela, August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Gaby Oraa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
20 hours ago

US Reviewing Visa Denial for Venezuelan Little League Players, State Department Says

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend