Features

Another Davis aide resigns during contracts controversy

The Associated Press
Thursday May 30, 2002

SACRAMENTO – Another aide to Gov. Gray Davis resigned Wednesday as the administration continued its efforts to put to rest a continuing controversy surrounding a potentially costly computer contract. 

Vince Patel resigned as the governor’s interim director of e-government only 3 1/2 weeks after he was appointed to the post. 

Patel, previously director of executive information systems for the state, was appointed May 5 to succeed Arun Baheti, who was fired after he accepted a $25,000 campaign contribution for the governor from the Oracle Corp. 

Administration officials said that violated a rule against the governor’s aides accepting campaign donations. 

The state signed a $95 million, no-bid contract with Oracle last year that was supposed to save up to $111 million through volume purchases and maintenance of database software. 

But the state auditor says the deal could end up costing the state up to $41 million more than if it had stuck to its previous software supply arrangements.