For months, as many of our members complained about the state's abominable 34-cent mileage reimbursement rate, ACSS requested that this rate be increased to reflect budget-busting rising gas prices. In fact, many state exluded employees had stopped using their own vehicles for business and, instead, were using state vehicles or rental cars, which proved cost-effective for the employees but was boosting costs in several departments and hurting productivity as well.

An article in The Sacramento Bee, published on May 1 of this year, elaborated on the extent of the employee complaints and the additional costs being incurred by numerous departments because of the sate's refusal to improve the mileage reimbursement rate.

In fact, a spokesperson with the Board of Equalization said that that department alone had spent $109,000 more on auditor car rentals in the last 9 months than it did for the same period a year earlier.

Apparently, DPA was listening to the chorus of complaints and finally took action. On July 11, 2006, DPA announced the increased mileage rate in a Personnel Management Liason, PML2006-021.