San Francisco-based non-profit agency Economic Opportunity Council (EOCSF) was expected to receive $159,000 in stimulus dollars for various/questionable "weatherization" projects. Today, however, those funds were yanked.
"The CSD has deemed the EOCSF high risk and has taken immediate action to stop the impending transfer of stimulus dollars," said Arnold-appointed California Inspector General Laura Chick. "However, this issue now rests with the Federal Government to determine if the State is required to not only continue to fund this agency, but also to give it Recovery dollars. As we saw on Wall Street, there needs to be a line in the sand when it comes to inappropriately spending taxpayer dollars."
EOCSF's areas of concern? A whopping $542,478.47 in "disallowed expenditures including co-mingling funds, board of directors retreats at a luxury casino, coffee services, drinking water and flowers"; severe "[f]inancial management deficiencies with no feasible plan to bring the agency into compliance"; and serious doubts about the weatherization work to obe completed.
According to EOCSF's site -- which could use some serious stimulus funds, too, because the site is downright painful to look at -- the Weatherization program is a project that helps low-income residents (e.g., the elderly, the handicapped) "by lessening the impact of the high cost of energy." Such services would have included "weather stripping of doors and windows, installation of clock thermostat, adjustment of gas appliances and general advice on how to conserve energy in the home."