Jenny Wong, City Auditor
Promoting transparency and accountability in Berkeley government.
Audit News
from the City Auditor
March 2020
COVID-19 Update
With growing concerns about COVID-19 virus, I wanted to share some information I received from the City Manager:

“ Our Health Officer is working closely with Alameda County’s Health Officer and with Health Officers throughout the Bay Area. Additionally we are coordinated with the California Department of Public Health, BUSD, UC Berkeley, Alta Bates and others. We still only have one positive case in Berkeley and there are now three confirmed positive cases in Alameda County. None of the four cases were contracted through community transmission (unknown spread).” Our Health Officer, Dr. Lisa Hernandez, has shared that "while the risk of infection remains low, the expanded presence of the virus in our community is a reality we should all prepare for. There are steps that all of us in the community can take now to improve simple hygiene and also prepare for a wider spread in the future." 

I know that we all are concerned about this COVID-19, which is so new that there is no vaccine. That said, there are everyday actions we can and should take:

  • wash your hands often with soap and water
  • stay home when sick 
  • don't touch your face with unwashed hands 
  • cover coughs with a tissue or your elbow  

To receive updated information regarding coronavirus from the City of Berkeley, visit the Public Health Division website by clicking here . There is a lot of misinformation circulating about COVID-19. Do not believe everything you read or hear. Rely on trusted health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , California Department of Public Health , and City of Berkeley Public Health .
Cost Information on Council Items
On February 25, I spoke at the City Council meeting about the importance of requiring all proposed council ordinances to have cost information. This equips decision makers to make informed decisions about resource needs for a new law before passage. This will also allow Council and the public with assurance that an item will be implemented. In June 2018, given the number of ordinances, our office issued a report requiring resource info attached to new ordinance proposals. See  Code Enforcement Resources Significantly Constrained and Improvements Needed in Case Management and Oversight .  This can include operational cost and tradeoffs. Attaching a budget referral to new legislation allows for certainty that new laws will be enacted once passed. While the City Council has adopted policy committees to dive deeper into policy items, this audit recommendation still remains open. https://t.co/8HvuRk3zes The City is given 2 years as a target to implement recommendations. We hope to see progress made on this important issue. 
Update on Zero Waste Audit Recommendations
On tonight’s City Council Agenda, Public Works submitted updates on two audits: Zero Waste Goal and Unified Vision . Both audits address the City of Berkeley’s commitment to reducing our environmental impacts by making less landfill waste and providing accurate trash and recycling pick-ups.

The Zero Waste Goal audit , released in 2014, provided recommendations to help Public Works continue progress towards the City’s Zero Waste goals. Public Works last reported to my office in March 2019 and has not made progress on any recommendations since then. The audit focused on Public Works’ ability to increase our City’s waste division from landfills by increasing our city’s ability to reuse, reduce, recycling, and composting. Since the audit’s release nearly six years ago, Public Works has not completed a strategic plan to determine how they can comply with state and local mandates, including the new Single Use Disposal Foodware ordinance and identify how to meet the City of Berkeley’s zero waste goals, including replacing the aging solid waste and recycling transfer station. 

The Unified Vision audit recommended ensuring residents are accurately billed for their refuse collection services and that refuse billing and collection operations are efficient. Released in 2016, Public Works has implemented half of the recommendations. Four are partially implemented and two will not be implemented due to the significant markets changes in recycling. In order to implement the remaining recommendations, Public Works continues to attempt to finalize a contract for new software to modernize refuse billing and collection. They have not implemented any additional recommendations since they last reported to my office in March 2019.
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:

  • Fleet Replacement
  • Library Tax Fund
  • Plastics Recycling
  • Streets
  • Staff Retention
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