Governor Schwarzenegger Announces State Garage Sale

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--Aug. 2, 20045, 2004--Governor Schwarzenegger today announced that the State of California will be holding a "Garage Sale" in Sacramento Friday, August 27 through Saturday, August 28th, to liquidate surplus state materials.

"Eliminating surplus property is just one way we can work together to cleanout the cobwebs of government," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "I am calling on Californians to participate in this historic opportunity to help us eliminate the excess."

State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Fred Aguiar, with the help of the California Performance Review, has spearheaded the effort to streamline the State Surplus Property system and liquidate unneeded assets.

"There were hundreds of large crates filled with government-owned goods that were just sitting here for years, gathering dust," said Aguiar. "Everyone, every once in a while, has to clean out their garage - the State of California has never cleaned out its garage. The Governor has made it very clear, let's get this cleaned up."

The garage sale is part of an overall asset management strategy that began in May when Governor Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-10- 4, directing his administration to more efficiently manage the state's core real property assets. Last month, the governor also sponsored trailer bill language that allows DGS to liquidate surplus properties, potentially bringing in tens of millions of dollars to help the state budget crisis.

Some of the many items expected to be available at the garage sale include: office furniture, tools, computers, restaurant equipment, jewelry, baseball cards, and a late model Ford Mustang.

Also available at the California Garage Sale will be a disposal site for electronic waste such as old televisions, computers and monitors. Businesses are encouraged to take advantage of this free service. Computers and monitors and other electronic equipment often contain components that are harmful to the environment and require special disposal. Normally, businesses are required to pay a fee for e-waste disposal.

The sale will take place at the DGS Surplus Property Warehouse at 1700 National Drive, Sacramento. The doors will open at 8:00 am and close at 6:00 pm on Friday and 8:00 to 12:00 noon on Saturday. Additionally, many items will be listed on eBay under the DGS seller name of californiagold2000. Bidders and interested parties from around the State and the rest of the nation can participate in the California Garage Sale via E-Bay at www.ebay.com. A link to the online auction can also be found at www.dgs.ca.gov.

The garage sale items can be purchased with cash, credit cards and personal checks. Staff will be available to help load larger items if needed.