Report 2018-127 Recommendation 6 Responses

Report 2018-127: California State University: It Failed to Fully Disclose Its $1.5 Billion Surplus, and It Has Not Adequately Invested in Alternatives to Costly Parking Facilities (Release Date: June 2019)

Recommendation #6 To: University, California State

The Chancellor's Office should update its policy by October 2019 to require campuses to submit the following information when requesting to build a new parking facility:

- The total annual cost to implement each alternate transportation strategy compared to the annual cost of constructing, operating, and maintaining a new parking facility.

- The cost per student served by those strategies compared to the cost per student of constructing, operating, and maintaining a new parking facility.

- The number of students served by each of those strategies compared to the number of students served by the new facility.

- Information, including participation data, on how the campuses have implemented alternate transportation strategies during the last three years.

1-Year Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office issued a new Transportation and Parking Policy in March 2020. The policy includes a Parking Feasibility Study Scope of Work Template that addresses each of the elements outlined in the recommendation.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

The Chancellor's Office issued a new Transportation and Parking Policy, which references a Parking Feasibility Scope of Work Template and states that the information requested is considered sufficient to comply with the requirements of the policy. The template addresses each of the elements listed in our recommendation.

6-Month Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office has drafted a revised policy to address the recommendation. The draft policy is undergoing review and is expected to be finalized by the end of January 2020. In addition, the division of Capital Planning, Design, and Construction at the Chancellor's Office has hired a transportation analyst whose primary job duty is to analyze the effectiveness of campus transportation and parking programs and promote the lowest cost/preferred alternatives.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

The Chancellor's Office has drafted and communicated for review policy updates to implement the recommendation with the primarily affected campus staff and their management. Comments on the policy were solicited to ensure the feasibility of the specific requirements in the drafted policy. Final adoption of the policy is expected in October 2019.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2018-127

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.