Under authority granted by the California Whistleblower Protection Act, the California State Auditor conducts investigations into improper governmental activities by state agencies and by state employees during the performance of their duties. An "improper governmental activity" is any action that violates the law, is economically wasteful, or involves gross misconduct, incompetency, or inefficiency. The State Auditor conducts investigations in response to complaints received from state employees and from members of the public. Investigations may also be conducted on the State Auditor's own initiative. The State Auditor receives complaints by telephone, by mail, in person, and through this website. Complainants have a right to remain confidential. Typically, the State Auditor will receive more than 4,000 complaints per year.
While the State Auditor lacks enforcement powers, the State Auditor is authorized to publicly report on the results of any investigation that finds an improper governmental activity has occurred. The State Auditor may also make recommendations to state departments about preventing reported improper activities from recurring. At least twice per year, the State Auditor issues a public report summarizing the results of the investigations that have been conducted during the previous months, and provides updates on the actions that have been taken by state departments in response to previously reported investigations, including what the departments have done to implement the State Auditor's recommendations. The State Auditor may also issue a special report detailing the results of an individual investigation when the findings of the investigation are particularly significant. Each report also contains statistical information regarding the number of complaints received and the number of investigations performed by the State Auditor. View investigative reports.
