Jerry Brown goes after ‘S.W.A.G.’

First to go were half the cell phones and state cars. Now Gov. Jerry Brown is telling all state agencies and departments to stop spending taxpayer dollars on free giveaway and gift items such as key chains, coffee mugs and squeeze toys—known colloquially as “S.W.A.G.,” or “stuff we all get.” Turns out that, from 2007 to 2010, the state spent more than $7.5 million on such junk. Brown wants the money to go toward bridging the state’s budget gap. Here are some of the agencies that loved their S.W.A.G.

<style type="text/css"> </style>

Agency SWAG expenditures 2007-10 Business, Transportation & Housing Agency $5,088,037.00 State and Consumer Services Agency $1,154,960.00 Health and Human Services Agency $778,678.00 Department of Food & Agriculture $175,530.00 Labor and Workforce Development Agency $129,012.00 Environmental Protection Agency $48,317.00 Emergency Management Agency $41,810.00 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation $12,201.00 Department of Veterans Affairs $4,968.00

Source: Governor’s Press Office