SACRAMENTO – In an effort to encourage reports of wasteful government practices, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week announced a new feature called “Waste Watchers” on his Web site at www.gov.ca.gov and his Reporting Transparency in Government Web site.

The Waste Watchers site allows state employees and other Californians to go online and report any government waste they may be aware of, either anonymously or by name. The administration will monitor the site and investigate submissions.

“I am committed to making state government more accountable to the people of California,” said Schwarzenegger. “With this new Waste Watchers feature, I am asking those on the front lines of state government to report any waste they may see. The knowledge of Californians who work in and around state government is a critical component to ensuring that we are operating efficiently and people are getting the most for their tax dollars.”

The new Web site feature came from a reader’s suggestion during a Sacramento Bee editorial board last Friday. Any Californian can submit a report on the Waste Watchers site, but the Administration anticipates that state employees, in particular, will have government waste to report and new efficiency measures to recommend.

Earlier this month, the governor signed an executive order requiring all state contracts valued at $5,000 or more to be posted online by June 19, as well as both the internal and external audits of state departments and agencies, including information on operations, budget and programs, dating back to Jan. 1, 2008.

In April, Schwarzenegger launched the Web site to make publicly available the statement of economic interests, Form 700s and the travel expense claims for the governor’s office senior staff and deputies, agency secretaries, agency undersecretaries and department directors.