Jenny Wong, City Auditor Promoting transparency and accountability in Berkeley government.

Audit News from the City Auditor July 2019 Quick Links City Auditor's Web Page Audits and Issued Reports Berkeley City Council Agendas ‌ ‌ ‌ Join Our Mailing List

Fiscal Year 2020 Audit Plan Our fiscal year 2020 Audit Plan will be presented to Council at the July 23rd meeting. We have identified areas we hope to address in the upcoming year: Housing and homelessness Streets Recruitment and retention Fiscal accountability Climate change and disaster response This Audit Plan reflects our commitment to continuous improvement by enhancing the value, products, staffing, communications, and overall impact of the Berkeley City Auditor’s Office on behalf of Berkeley residents, businesses, and visitors.  This month we official launched our Streets audit. We are currently in the planning phases and deciding what we will look at. If you have any suggestions of where we can add value or would like us to attend a group meeting to solicit input please contact us by email at auditor@cityofberkeley.info . View the Audit Plan

In Case You Missed It

On May, 9th, our office released an audit of Fire Prevention Inspections. We found that the Fire Department has nearly 2,500 unresolved violations remaining from its 2018 inspections and did not inspect over 500 properties that year. The fire inspection program staffing has not kept up with demand, which has greatly increased due to population growth and increased development - coupled with Berkeley’s regulations which exceed state standards. Check coverage of our audit in the East Bay Express !

Read the Full Report

Cost Transparency in Council Items to Be Discussed at Rules Committee on Monday Our code enforcement audit revealed that lack of information about operational and opportunity costs hinder s the ability to make informed decisions on ordinances. After calling attention to this issue, Council adopted new guidance for developing Council items, but did not make it a requirement or address opportunity costs (tradeoffs). It is important that City Council has full information when making decisions about whether to adopt new regulations, both about the cost of implementation and how enforcement of the new code will impact existing operations. I have asked for this information to be a requirement to increase transparency to the public when adopting a new ordinance. This issue will be discussed at the upcoming Rules and Agenda Committee meeting on Monday, July 15.

Agenda Packet

Read Code Enforcement Audit

City's Bond Rating Increases The City was recently notified by Moody’s Rating Agency that its ratings for general obligation bonds has increased from Aa2 to Aa1. Moody’s credited the City for its reserve policy and establishment of a Section 115 trust to address unfunded pension liabilities, both of which were subjects of work released under former City Auditor Ann-Marie Hogan.

Read the Bond Memo

We are busy working on a variety of audits that evaluate the performance of city programs and services across a variety of departments. These audits include: Equipment Replacement Fund Follow-up Library Tax Fund (non-personnel expenditures) Domestic Violence Response Policy Streets

Join Berkeley July 13th, 12pm-2pm in Civic Center Park for a protest about immigrant children being held at concentration camps on the U.S-Mexican border, organized by Council Member Kesarwani. DREAMers, faith-based groups, musical groups, poets, and elected officials will speak about this crisis and how we can fight back. I will be sharing my immigrant story. The event will include tabling from different agencies to share resources, information, and ways to get involved. Join us to show your support for children held at the border and learn how you can help. 

Auditor's Office Celebrates Pride Month June was Pride Month. It commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City, which were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US, and recognizes the significant positive contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals have had on society.

Berkeley City Auditor | Website

‌ ‌ ‌