It took a state budget crisis to concentrate California bureaucrats on their own wasteful spending. That’s the clear takeaway this week after the state’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) dropped its harassment charges against Activision Blizzard.

The Department has spent several years and untold taxpayer dollars in its pursuit of the video game giant, to the detriment of everyone other than its politically ambitious leadership. This week’s settlement stops the wasteful spending, allows the parties to move on–and hopefully triggers accountability for the CRD “leaders” involved in this debacle.

For those who haven’t followed closely, here’s the backstory.

In 2021, following allegations of gender pay disparities, Activision negotiated a settlement with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). However, when the California Civil Rights Department became aware of the settlement with their federal counterpart, CRD sued to stop it – even though a federal judge said the settlement was “fair, reasonable and adequate and advance(s) the public interest.”