California Public Utilities Commission safety inspectors have been driving poorly maintained vehicles as well as unsafe ones with completely worn out brakes or bald tires. That’s the finding of the commission’s internal auditors in a Jan. 15 review of the agency’s motor pool.<!--more--> The auditors found that of the 94 vehicles the commission has in its motor pool, the vehicle management team had complete service records for only 31. There were no service records at all for 33 of the vehicles. In addition, the garages that service the vehicles, except for one, did not perform comprehensive inspections required under state law and provide reports detailing the results. On top of that, emergency numbers for towing vehicles in the event of a breakdown were out of date in many of the cars, the audit found. Commissioner Catherine Sandoval noted that one of her advisors who needed to travel to attend a meeting had to call another commission staff member for help when a motor pool vehicle broke down. That’s because all the numbers in the car for obtaining assistance were out of date, she said. New CPUC president Michael Picker noted that in an agency charged with regulating the safety of utility operations, that audit shows “we’re missing the boat partly within.” Commission staff noted that the problems in the motor pool are being corrected. Other internal audits looking into management practices at the commission are underway. <em>—William J. Kelly</em>