The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Local
    • Palmdale
    • Lancaster
    • Los Angeles County
    • Littlerock
    • Lake Los Angeles
    • Rosamond
    • Edwards AFB
    • Acton
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Advertise
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Show Search

Wilk’s introduces legislation to address no-bid contracting process

by The AV Times Staff • February 9, 2022 Leave a Comment

Scott Wilk [file]
Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, whose 21st Senate District includes parts of the Antelope Valley, has announced two measures he says will crack down on Governor Newsom’s “practice of granting multi-million dollar contracts to vendors without going through a formal bidding process.”

“During the past two years, we have seen the unaccountable and frankly out-of-control Newsom Administration paying out billions of dollars in secretive no-bid contracts under the guise of curbing the impact of an ongoing global pandemic,” Wilk said in a news release. “Sub-par contracting decisions in critical areas such as COVID-19 test processing has led to massive waste, left the state vulnerable to fraud, and worse, has hamstrung our ability to effectively slow the spread of COVID-19.”

According to Wilk, Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 will increase oversight by requiring no-bid contracts of $25 million or more entered on or after Jan. 1, 2023, to be subject to the oversight hearing of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee prior to a renewal or extension of the contracts. This would ensure that no-bid contracts are not simply auto-renewed without the opportunity for public input.

Wilk said Senate Bill 947 will ensure accountability by empowering employees of no-bid contracts to report fraud, waste, abuse, and improper activity, free from fear of retaliation by granting them the whistleblower protections already afforded to formal employees of the state.

“The Newsom Administration’s practice of renewing no-bid contracts without reviewing their merits is not only a waste of taxpayer money, but also a way to skirt the spirit of California’s contracting process,” Wilk said. “Californians would not be aware of the Valencia lab fiasco had brave whistleblowers not risked their livelihoods to expose the glaring deficiencies. They should be offered the same protections as other state workers who call attention to grievous problems at a state agency.”

SCA 7 and SB 947 will next be referred to Senate policy committees for consideration. Constituents can track their respective progress here and here.

–

Filed Under: Politics

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Comments

  • Mike Mike on Patti LaBelle to perform at Palmdale Amphitheater on July 9: “Well Wendy, if you get hot you can pull your big breast over your head and cool off. Patti is…” May 27, 21:15
  • Edward Pepper on Pedestrian hit, killed on 14 Freeway in Palmdale ID’d: “I knew him as unstable when drinking.” May 27, 20:56
  • I am for the 2nd Amendment on Readers Speak Out! (new): “That is not unreasonable. Good suggestion” May 27, 19:57
  • America's Most Besotted Bumbler on Mail carrier from Palmdale arrested in jobless benefits fraud case: “Non-violent white collar crime ripping off the government rather than an individual, doesn’t seem as punishable to me as violent,…” May 27, 18:38
  • America's Most Deranged Dimwit on Mail carrier from Palmdale arrested in jobless benefits fraud case: ““10% for the big guy.” LOL I’m tall, so I’m gonna have T-shirts made saying that. Maybe I can run…” May 27, 18:30

Copyright © 2022 · The AV Times LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of Use