SACRAMENTO, CA - A Sacramento Beeinvestigation discovered many of the new cars and trucks purchased for the State of California this year, which cost more than $5.5 million, have been idle for months.

Among the findings of the investigation, the Bee reported pickups and larger trucks bought from 2006-2008 are still awaiting final assembly in one department's yard. More than 100 undeployed heavy-, medium-, and light-duty trucks have also been spotted sitting behind fences, dozens of which have been parked for months awaiting outfitting with such components as toolboxes and snowblowers before deployment, reported the Bee.

The Department of General Services spent $1.2 million on 50 new hybrid Toyota Prius sedans in February, with state agencies committed to buying only 13 of them, state purchasing records show. The Department of Transportation has spent $4.3 million since February to buy new trucks and dump-truck bodies, including a $1.7 million flurry of orders June 30 - the last day of the state's fiscal year.

General Services and Caltrans officials defended the purchases, saying they secured value for the public's money and will eventually be put into service.

Since the investigation's findings were released, the Bee reported Kathleen Webb, a Department of General Services deputy director who oversaw the state's vehicle fleet, has submitted her resignation (effective Oct. 31), said Erin Shaw, a spokeswoman for the State and Consumer Services Agency, which oversees the General Services department.

All state departments were ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this summer to reduce their vehicle fleets by 15 percent for an expected savings of $24.1 million a year. The executive order was issued after an internal state audit found thousands of state workers were driving state cars home from work without proper need or justification.