We were reading the fiber version of today's A1 story in The Bee about how it's taking longer for CHP dispatchers to answer 911 telephone calls, when these paragraphs caught our attention:
Some experts fear that the situation will continue to deteriorate. The source of the added concern is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's state employee furlough plan. It went into effect in February, calling for most state employees, including dispatchers, to take two days off without pay each month through June 2010.
"If they're furloughing dispatchers, that's crazy," said Charles Cullen, outgoing president of the California chapter of the National Emergency Number Association and director of technical services for the Palo Alto Police Department. "You're lessening crucial services to the public. It doesn't make any sense at all, particularly in a system that is already overburdened."
Reporter Andy Furillo's story includes a comment from Assemblywoman Nora Torres, D-Pomona, who has asked the Schwarzenegger administration to exempt CHP dispatchers from his furlough order. The governor's spokesman, Aaron McLear, told Andy that the furloughs have had "no effect" on staffing levels at dispatch centers.
Click here to read the story.
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