State workers wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on the job,

MARCH 2, 2017, 1:17 P.M.

State workers wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars on the job, auditor's report finds

Patrick McGreevy

The California Capitol in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

One state employee used his work computer extensively to play video games, another misused her state car for personal commutes and two tax officials improperly referred taxpayers to private businesses to prepare their taxes.

Those are some of the findings of State Auditor Elaine Howle based on tips from the state whistle-blower telephone line, she said Thursday.

“Through our investigations, we found misuse of state time and resources, failure to keep accurate time and attendance records, disclosure of confidential information, neglect of duty to supervise and improper payments,” Howle wrote to the governor.

“In total, we identified almost $40,000 in inappropriate expenditures related to the misuse of state time and resources, inaccurate attendance records, and improper payments,” she added.

The cases included:

— A Cal State Fresno library employee misused his university computer to visit more than 48,000 webpages over a 13-month period related to online videos and games that were not connected to his work.

— A parole agent with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation misused a state vehicle for her personal commute at a cost to the state of about $3,800, in addition to improperly storing the car at her home without permission.

— An analyst at the California Department of Transportation misused state time by regularly taking excessive breaks to smoke and extended lunches during her workdays, misusing 130 hours of state time from July 2015 to March 2016 at a cost to the state of about $4,300.