DFG FACING PERSONNEL CRISIS.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - California's Department of Fish and Game manpower is in trouble. Several top DFG DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council) DFG Department of Fish and Game DFG District Factor Group DFG Data Flow Graph DFG Difference Frequency Generation DFG Diode Function Generator DFG Dog Faced Gremlin officials admit the situation could be perilous. The agency is short 40 game wardens and the wildlife division is down 50 employees. Overall, 11.8 percent of the DFG's positions are unfilled. ``Everyone you talk to is overwhelmed,'' South Coast Region spokesperson Jackie Kourassis said. The DFG employs approximately 3,000 people, of which 1,700 are budgeted positions, said Linda Masteller of the Human Resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. Branch. She said there are approximately 200 openings statewide. The problem, some say, is pay. A prime example are game wardens. They patrol certain areas, insuring that fish and game codes are enforced, leveling fines and doing police work. But the starting pay for game wardens is $26,000. The starting pay for a California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. officer is $44.304. However, the lack of pay is not directly related to budgets; DFG employees say there is enough money in the budget to support more employees. ``Our wardens cannot even support themselves,'' said Mike McBride, the Eastern Sierra-Inland Deserts region patrol chief. ``We have the same penal code penal code n. A body of laws relating to crimes and offenses and the penalties for their commission. penal code Noun the body of laws relating to crime and punishment Noun 1. as the CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan , but our pay scale is 42 percent behind what the CHP pays.'' McBride says he remembers when ``thousands'' of applicants competed for one job. He said there are currently 17 candidates going through the DFG's five-month academy at Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine College. ``Out of 16 applicants, if we happened to get just one good recruit to be proud of, that's sad because this is one heck of a job.'' Because wardens work alone, it is not easy for them to arrange back-up help. Also, because there are fewer wardens, it is likely that fewer violations will be found. That correlates to less money to county fish and game commissions, the DFG and the state general budget. However, the problem does not seem to exist solely among game wardens. ``I remember when we were flooded with applications,'' Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, hunting coordinator Louise Fiorillo said. ``I think it goes in cycles.'' Wildlife Programs Branch chief Dave Zezulak said it's not just pay, either. ``The colleges are not training for what we do,'' he said. ``They are being trained differently. They're being trained to help determine policy and they're no longer concerned with research.'' |
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