Mismanagement straight out of Central Casting, literally

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will investigate how federal bioterror funds were spent after a report in yesterday's L.A. Times. Here is today's follow-up (registration required)...

"These expenses included $57,045 to hire extras from Central Casting to participate in a 2004 smallpox vaccination drill, along with gift bags to thank the paid actors and volunteers. The county also spent $128,000 on promotional items such as flashlights and letter openers, and $170,000 to train health department staff on how to put together videos to be viewed online. Two videos have been produced, neither of which focuses on bioterrorism."

Extras from Central Casting? Promotional letter openers? Hardly a ringing endorsement of the judgment of the disaster-preparedness folks in L.A.