DPA Director Dave Gilb resonded to The Sacramento Bee's article on state hiring in a letter to the editor March 18. Some previously authorized positions were filled and some departments do not fall under the governor's budgetary control, Gilb said. To read the letter, click the headline above.

A view on state hiring

Re "State keeps hiring despite freeze" (Page A1, March 16): The article on state hiring shows that despite severe fiscal constraints and cutbacks, the state is maintaining programs and services the public demands and, in some cases, federal law requires. However, certain key points that were left out of the article bear mention.

For instance, positions already authorized in the budget do not benefit the public if left unfilled, as the vacancies ultimately lead to a decline in service. When the administration put reductions in payroll in place last summer, our goal was to maintain vacancies short-term as a buffer against potential layoffs.

The governor has taken a series of executive actions over the past year to cut spending, and we now have a budget that reduces payroll by $1.4 billion through a combination of furloughs, fewer holidays and reduced overtime payments. To meet that savings target, we also will likely need to eliminate positions. However, some areas of the budget are outside the administration's budgetary control, such as the other constitutional offices and the judiciary, whose increased head count The Bee included when it reported that the state work force has grown.

– Dave Gilb, director, Department of Personnel Administration