I’M SHOCKED: California Legislators Ignore State Audit Warnings

A new CBS News report found what most of us already knew: The Democrat Supermajority Legislature ignores state audits – even audits the Joint Legislative Audit Committee request. The State Auditor is non-partisan, just as with the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and is supposed to be the state watchdog to help limit waste, fraud and abuse.

I’M SHOCKED.

CBS reports: “The unresolved warnings span some of California’s most expensive and urgent problems, including unemployment fraud, homelessness spending oversight, public safety funding accountability, wildfire risk, and drinking water safety, just to name a few.”

I have covered many of the State Auditor’s reports, and most recently, broke their latest report by State Auditor Gabe Petek, who is excellent : “California State Auditor: Governor Newsom And 8 Agencies Named ‘High-Risk’ which found that Gavin Newsom while in his final year as governor, has upended the state’s financial structure, compromised public safety, and left the state’s infrastructure in far worse condition.

Back in the 2010s, I greatly appreciated reporting on then-State Auditor Elaine Howle’s fabulous audits.

Here’s just one article from June 2010 warning that State Employees Misuse Taxpayer Money:

Say it isn’t so… some state employees abuse their public service jobs? I’m shocked.

The state Auditor Elaine Howle released another spate of reports on Tuesday that include some damning information.

Several state agencies were caught with employees abusing and stealing from the state. It turns out that management within the agencies knew of the abuse and misuse of taxpayer money. Which agencies? Corrections, Industrial Relations, Justice, CSU Northridge and CSU Channel Islands, Water Resources, Consumer Affairs, Social Services, Food and Agriculture, Highway Patrol, and the DMV.

Here are the reports:

Investigations of Improper Activities by State Employees:
Misuse of State Time and Resources, Improper Gifts, Inadequate Administrative Controls, and Other Violations of State Law
January 2009 Through December 2009
Brief Report | Full Report (PDF) | Fact Sheet (PDF)

and…

Implementation of State Auditor’s Recommendations:
Audits Released in January 2008 Through December 2009
Brief Report | Full Report (PDF)

It doesn’t appear that California has done a good job with federal Recovery Act funds: Recovery Act Programs—Interim Reports. Specifically, the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: “It Is Not Fully Prepared to Award and Monitor Millions in Recovery Act Funds and Lacks Controls to Prevent Their Misuse.” Fact Sheet (PDF) Report (PDF)

and… “High-Risk Update—California’s System for Administering Federal Recovery Act Funds: State Departments Are Preparing to Administer Aspects of Recovery Act Funding, but Correction of Control Weaknesses and Prompt Federal and State Guidance Are Needed.” Fact Sheet (PDF) Highlights Summary Report (PDF)Original Report (PDF)

This needs to be exposed.

Legislators and state leaders should be required by state law to publicly address state audits, with their implementation plan to make the fixes.

Here are some of our other articles reporting on the California State Auditor’s excellent reports:

California State Auditor’s Scathing Homeless Report: Where Did the Money Go?

California State Auditor Rates Unemployment Agency ‘High Risk’

California May Lose As Much As $337 Million In Federal Pandemic Rental Aid According To State Auditor’s Office

California ‘DOGE’ Proves State Government is Too BIG and Unaccountable

California’s High Speed Swindle

State Auditor Releases Scathing Audit of the Failure to Mitigate Homelessness in California

State Auditor’s Report Shows Lanterman Act Reform is Badly Needed

CA State Auditor Finds State Agencies Overpaying Millions for Workers’ Compensation Insurance

State Auditor Finds Dept of Corrections Rehabilitation Programs a Total Failure

CA Auditor Report: State Distributed Double CARES Act Funding To Larger Counties

CA Auditor Warns 18 State Agencies ‘High Risk’ for Waste, Fraud, Abuse of Federal COVID Funds

All of these reports have been ignored by the state’s elected lawmakers: abuse of Covid funds, disappearing EDD funds, abuse of homeless funds, California’s High Speed Rail funding… we need to demand better representatives. California’s Legislature needs a cleansing.