Jerry Brown orders reports on how to reduce number of reports

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

California state government churns out more than 2,600 reports annually to the Legislature. Gov. Jerry Brown thinks this is wasteful.

His solution: require every agency to write a report about what reports may be unnecessary.

In an executive order issued Monday, Brown ordered all state agencies to compile a list of reports to pass on to his Department of Finance, which will then roll them into one big report it will use to consult with the Legislature on what reports to eliminate.

“My administration remains committed to keeping the Legislature informed, but churning out 2,600 annual reports -– some ordered more than two decades ago –- is a waste of time and money,” Brown said in a statement.

Brown is trying to convince voters that he’s streamlining state government in hopes of winning their support for a $7-billion tax initiative in November. One of his first acts as governor was to order tens of thousands of state workers to turn in their publicly paid cellphones.

He has also touted the deep cuts in the budget he signed in June. More are on the way: His administration is expected to announce up to $2 billion in additional reductions this week because projected tax revenue is not meeting the expectations that it and the Democratic-controlled Legislature used during budget season.

RELATED:

We’re not making this up: Brown executive order

Jerry Brown unveils tax plan on Twitter

--Nicholas Riccardi in Sacramento