Nearly $10 million in charitable donations by California taxpayers sat unspent in government accounts in 2015

"The chairman of California's Senate Governance and Finance committee said Thursday that he will ask committee staff to review all state accounts that handle charitable tax contributions to find out if there is unspent money languishing in them, in response to a report by The Associated Press.

The AP found that nearly $10 million in charitable donations by California taxpayers sat unspent in government accounts at the end of last year. Some of the funds never reach the intended charities and go back into state coffers after taxpayers check a box on their taxes to contribute, as good intentions meet a lengthy bureaucratic maze.

In this Aug. 19, 2015, photo, California Army National Guardsman, Sgt. Jeff Bennett, poses with his family daughter Serenity, 8 months, seated left, son Jaydon, 3, right, and wife Danielle, at their home in Folsom, Calif. After serving in Kosovo in 2014, Bennett was stuck with a $18,000 medical bill for his wife's high-risk pregnancy because of an unexpected lap in health insurance. The California Military Department last year pushed to change illegibility requirements for National Guard relief grants that had gone unused. Bennett was the first recipient of the new grant meant to help members of the National Guard returning from deployment. Rich Pedroncelli AP Photo "This is just embarrassing. It's unacceptable. People expect their money to be spent for these important purposes and these delays, you know, they're not explainable to me," said Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys. "So I just learned about it ,but I'm going to jump on it.""


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