Dear Ms. Bryant,

As we have discussed, I am concerned by the federal job calculation formulas required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As has been reported in newspapers around the country since the reports were filed, it seems the current technical federal formulas for calculating the number of jobs saved or created present challenges regarding accuracy. While I realize these formulas were provided by the federal government, I am directing the Task Force to work with state departments and agencies that receive Recovery Act dollars to look into alternative ways of calculating jobs that are more accurate. The Task Force should work with Inspector General Laura Chick and my Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Victoria Bradshaw, to determine job calculations that will more appropriately reflect the impact the Recovery Act has had here in California.

As you know, I remain committed to the highest levels of transparency and accountability in reporting on Recovery Act funds, which is why I created the California Recovery Task Force and appointed an Inspector General. In this case, simple compliance with federal guidelines does not present the people of California with the transparency and accountability that they deserve. That is why we should maintain two jobs calculations in future Recovery Act reports: one that meets federal mandates as outlined in the federal Recovery Act and one that makes sense to the people of California.

By copying my agency secretaries and department directors on this letter, I am directing them to cooperate with you in both improving the federal jobs calculations and in thorough and swift action in implementation of the Recovery Act in California. Ensuring Recovery Act funds are pumped into the California economy as quickly and responsibly as possible remains a top priority of my administration.

When I stood on the steps of the White House with Vice President Biden and said that California had created more jobs than any other state in the nation, I made a true statement that we should all be proud of. When Vice President Biden commented that California was ahead of the game on the Recovery Act, he was correct. The Recovery Act is working in California, and it is saving and creating jobs, but we must address the issue of how the jobs numbers are calculated and reported within federal guidelines - because misleading federal formulas are distracting us all from remembering that this money is a much-needed parachute for the California economy.

Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger