State Spent Millions on “Swag”: Gov. Brown

Gov. Jerry Brown has ordered state agencies to stop buying “S.W.A.G” or “Stuff We All Get.”

Brown claims California spent $7.5 million on free giveaway and gift items like key chains and coffee mugs in the past three years.

“Not a cent of taxpayer money should be spent on flashlights, ashtrays or other unnecessary items, most of which likely end up in landfills,” said Governor Brown in a statement.

Brown is trying to cut $363 million in operational costs next fiscal year.

“Every taxpayer dollar we save by cutting waste is a dollar that can be used to pay for critical public safety and social services,” said Brown.

A breakdown of “S.W.A.G” expenditures from 2007 to 2010:

Word of the “S.W.A.G” ban comes on the heels of a hiring freeze and a state cell phone ban.

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