SACRAMENTO, CA - Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order on Jan. 28 ordering an immediate halt to non-emergency new car purchases and turn-in of fleet cars not essential to state business. The governor plans to cut California's 11,000-unit passenger vehicle fleet in half.

Brown said his goal is to halve the number of the state's passenger cars, trucks, and home storage permits that allow use of fleet cars for daily commuting. The Department of General Services estimates the state previously issued approximately 4,500 home storage permits that don't serve a health or public safety function.

"Fifty percent is a starting point. If we find more waste, we'll make more cuts," Brown stated in a release.

Executive Order B-2-11 directs every agency to immediately review their organization's home storage permits and withdraw those that are not essential or cost-effective. The review will take into account public health and safety employees who may need a car around the clock and situations where it is more cost-effective for certain employees to have a car.

Brown's order instructs agencies and departments to analyze the purpose, necessity, and cost-effectiveness of every fleet vehicle, and submit a plan for cutting unneeded vehicles. Non-essential vehicles must be sold or transferred within 120 days of the plan's approval. Brown will also move underutilized vehicles to new locations to improve fleet efficiency.

According to the executive order, the state fleet has a replacement value exceeding $1.5 billion, uses more than $90 million in fuel, and incurs tens of millions of dollars in other operating expenses. It also stated that state agencies report thousands of vehicles go underutilized each year.

View the executive order here.