TERU Focus Report - CalRecycle's "Realignment"

CalRecycle's Realignment, NOT a Reorganization per Staff 
October 20, 2010 -- Michael Theroux 

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) was previously known to all as the California Integrated Waste Management Board (Waste Board). Senate Bill 63 (SB 63) combined California's Recycling and Waste Management Division (Division), overseen by the Waste Board, with the Division of Recycling to form a new department called "CalRecycle", effective January 1, 2010. The Governor immediately eliminated the Waste Board Members and their assistants, dismantling the Division under the CalEPA agency, and placing it under the wing of the Resources Agency. 

CalRecycle's meeting in Sacramento on October 19, 2010 described the proposed SB 63 realignment in detail. Elimination of the Waste Board and consolidation of related activities, according to Director Margo Reid Brown's comments at the meeting, will save taxpayers a bit over $1 million each year. No programs were eliminated by SB 63; no staff positions, other than the Waste Board and its support staff, were cut.  

The "Realignment" plan (NOT a reorganization, staff emphasized) tries to keep experienced teams from each division internally intact, while grouping like programs from each division. For example, all the Grants folks will work in the same program under one Deputy Director. Data geeks focused on statistics for landfills and transfer stations will now be in the same cubicle, so to speak, as those who track how many tons of bottles and cans were recycled. Jason Marshall, ear-marked for that Deputy Director role, figures they will effectively merge overall data management capabilities by July 2011, opening a real wealth of new data mining opportunities. In most cases, however, primary points of contact will remain the same: your "go to" person will still hold the keys, although their door may change.  

Besides Mr. Marshall leading the "Audits and Data Analysis Division", we find Howard Levenson overseeing "Materials Management & Local Assistance Division"; Mark Leary steps into a more hands-on position as Gate Keeper for the "Permits & Certification Division" that provides the authorization to participate in the permitting programs; while veteran Ted Rauh will steer the "Compliance & Enforcement Division". Overall Finance, IT and Administration authority falls to Tom Estes, and Legal stays with Elliot Block. A new and interesting layer, offices of "Program Evaluation" and "Policy & Planning", is proposed for just under the Director to improve internal checks and balances. "Project matrix" management is being reviewed where Planning needs a cross-cutting approach, and much more weight will land on Tom Este's desk, to better use the power of advanced information technology for agency-wide programmatic coordination. The current organizational chart and proposed realignment are available here. 

So ... What is "Waste", what constitutes "Recycling", and what are the rules and regulations that manage the difference? What happens when a highly integrated project needs folks from many of the sub-programs? Where will the E-Waste program go? (under Mark Leary's Division). And ... will there be any MONEY to support local waste and recycling programs? These are some of the topics discussed during and following the meeting, subjects of concern needing attention that may find better traction, one can hope, in One House.  

And some sanity prevails: I asked for an Ombudsman, and we all learned that Alicia McGee has already taken that step, setting up and (at least for now) maintaining a separate email box at Ombudsman@Calrecycle.ca.gov. Kudos, Alicia!     

The first CalRecycle monthly public meeting will be held November 16, 2010 at 10:00 am at the CalEPA building, 1001 I Street, Byron Sher Auditorium (2nd floor), Sacramento, with all Deputy Directors present and available for grilling.