Poll: Can California state government get more fit?

A new bill that lays out Gov. Jerry Brown’s intent for a “strong and nimble civil service system” has popped up on the Department of Finanace’s website in preparation for the 2015-16 state budget.

“(I)t is the intent of the Legislature that the administration continues with ongoing and identifies new efforts to improve the state’s civil service system,” the latest so-called “spot bill” states. “This should be done through modernizing recruitment, examination, and hiring practices; developing more robust employee and management training programs; reforming probation policies; and improving employee and management evaluation processes, among other initiatives.”

The proposal is a placeholder for more substantial language that will be inserted after the administration bargains with state-employee unions and negotiates the budget with the Legislature. But will change happen more on paper than in the state workplace? Weigh in with our poll.

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Poll: Can California state government get more fit?."