Looks like the Times is finally on the Williams story:O.C. grand jury again criticizes public administrator/public guardian's office
The Orange County grand jury issued a scathing report Tuesday criticizing the public administrator/public guardian's office for "egregious" mismanagement, including questionable promotions that cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
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"It was outrageous behavior," jury foreman Jim Perez said.
The public administrator settles the estates of the deceased; the public guardian takes care of people under legal conservatorship. The department handles estates valued at more than $38 million each year, according to the report.
In a move to reduce county costs, the office of the public guardian was split from the Health Care Agency in 2005 and combined with the public administrator. ¶ But instead of saving money, the first grand jury report said, costs went up because of additional management salaries. Staffing levels have risen from seven managers for 67 employees at a cost of $529,796 to 10 managers for the same number of employees at $1.04 million.
Jurors intended to issue only one report on the agency. But within two weeks of its release in May, they got a "significant" number of calls and letters informing them that not only had management not changed, but that the situation had worsened. Another person was promoted to a newly created management position. Meanwhile, staffing levels of caseworkers and their caseloads remained the same.
"The things we highlighted in the first report were still being done very flagrantly," juror Janet Buell said.
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Department head John Williams will address the [Board of Supervisors] regarding the first report on July 14. He could not be reached for comment.
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But Williams "needs to have the answers to the management practices and promotion practices," [Board Chairwoman Patricia] Bates said.
According to an employee quoted in the report, temporary promotions were used to "gain support and loyalty" within the agency.
A look at human resources records showed "many instances" of people promoted and then demoted, the report said.
"Someone else needs to make changes," Buell said, "because this management isn't."
