Most Recent Reports

Report 2012-039: Fi$Cal Status Letter

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The California State Auditor just released report 2012-039: Fi$Cal Status Letter.

Report 2011-043: CA-MMIS Status Letter

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The California State Auditor just released report 2011-043: CA-MMIS Status Letter.

Report 2011-002: State of California: Internal Control and State and Federal Compliance Audit Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2011

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The California State Auditor just released report 2011-002: State of California: Internal Control and State and Federal Compliance Audit Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2011.

Report 2011-101.2: Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services: Management Instability Hampered Efforts to Better Protect Children

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Our review of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (department), highlighted the following:

Although the department began most investigations on time, it struggled to complete many of them within requisite time frames.
To best monitor a child's safety, monthly visits with a child and family should be in the home, yet for three or more consecutive months in seven of the 30 cases we reviewed, visits occurred outside the children's homes.
Of 20 placements that we reviewed, we found that the department, in nine instances, did not complete required assessments and background checks before placing children with relatives.
Delays in the department completing required assessments of homes and caregivers resulted in nearly 900 children living in relative placements that the department later determined to be unsafe or inappropriate.
Although the department generally acted quickly to remove children from potentially unsafe placements, it did not always notify requisite oversight entities of allegations of abuse or neglect.
A general instability in management has hampered the department's ability to address its long-standing problems such as completing timely investigations and placement assessments.
The turnover in key management positions has impeded the department's ability to develop and implement a strategic plan.

Report 2011-111: Federal Workforce Investment Act: More Effective State Planning and Oversight Is Necessary to Better Help California's Job Seekers Find Employment

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Our audit of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) highlighted the following:

The California Workforce Investment Board (state board) has not always complied with federal and state laws.
- Although required by state law since 2006, the state board failed to develop a strategic workforce plan for California.
- Only 38 percent of the state board membership represented the business sector as of February 2012, instead of a majority as WIA requires.
- It has not taken steps to identify unnecessary duplication among WIA programs and activities.
The Employment Development Department (EDD) can improve its administration of WIA funding.
- Because EDD did not always demonstrate its compliance with WIA provisions when awarding a certain type of funding to local workforce investment boards and a community-based organization, it increased the State's risk of losing WIA funding.
- It is not maximizing the federal funding opportunities available for workforce investment—we noted six missed opportunities for federal grants that could have provided up to $10.5 million in additional funds for the workforce investment efforts in the State.

Report 2011-001: State of California: Financial Report Year Ended June 30, 2011

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The California State Auditor just released report 2011-001: State of California: Financial Report Year Ended June 30, 2011.

Report 2012-406: Implementation of State Auditor's Recommendations: Audits Released in January 2010 Through December 2011

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The California State Auditor just released report 2012-406: Implementation of State Auditor's Recommendations: Audits Released in January 2010 Through December 2011.

Report 2011-117: High School Graduation and Dropout Data: California's New Database May Enable the State to Better Serve Its High School Students Who Are at Risk of Dropping Out

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Our review of the high school graduation and dropout data highlighted the following:

The California Department of Education (department) gathers student-level data from public schools statewide through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
The State's graduation rate for the 2009-10 cohort of students was 74.4 percent, while the dropout rate was 18.2 percent.
- African-American students and Hispanic or Latino students dropped out at higher rates than their peers, as did students who were English Language learners.
- White and Asian socioeconomically disadvantaged students were more likely to drop out than students in those groups who were not socioeconomically disadvantaged.
- Students who failed the California High School Exit Examination on their first attempt were significantly less likely to graduate than students who passed on their first attempt.
School districts continue to face challenges in implementing CALPADS.
- Schools have inconsistent practices for verifying the reasons students exit high school.
- Because the degree to which personnel verified and documented codes varied depending upon the reasons that students left, the data on some students may be less accurate than for others.
- Several districts reported that the process of uploading information from their local systems into CALPADS can be time consuming.
Because the funding for CALPADS is primarily focused on meeting state and federal reporting requirements, the State may risk missing opportunities to be more innovative in using its longitudinal data.

Report 2011-113: Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System: Increased Transparency and Stronger Controls Are Necessary as It Focuses on Improving Its Financial Situation

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Our audit of the fiscal management of the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (Health Care System) highlighted the following:

The Health Care System does not have a formal policy for compensating its chief executive officer (CEO) and other executives.
The board of directors (board) has made decisions regarding executive compensation in violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires conducting meetings in an open manner to keep the public informed of its actions.
The Health Care System's executives were granted compensation at the upper level of industry practices.
- The former CEO, who retired in April 2011, received $4.9 million in retirement and severance benefits over four years.
- The salaries of the vice presidents employed as of August 2011 ranged from $272,000 to $341,000, and the former CEO's salary was $668,000 in 2011.
We identified two instances in which conflict-of-interest laws may have been violated.
About 25 percent of the Health Care System's employees and consultants that it identified as needing to file statements of economic interests for 2010 had not filed them as of September 2011—more than five months after the filing deadline.
The Health Care System did not consistently document how it selected contractors in cases for which it was not required by law to use a competitive process.
The Health Care System reported operating losses during fiscal years 2009-10 and 2010-11, sustaining an operating loss of $7.4 million in the latter fiscal year alone.
By offering incentives to resign and imposing involuntary separations, the Health Care System reported reducing staffing by 341 positions from July 2010 through October 2011.

Report 2011-110: Office of Traffic Safety: Although It Exercises Limited Oversight of Sobriety Checkpoints, Law Enforcement Agencies Have Complied With Applicable Standards

webmaster@bsa.ca.gov (California State Auditor Webmaster) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Our review of the Office of Traffic Safety's (OTS) oversight of grants it provides for sobriety checkpoints (checkpoints), highlighted the following:

OTS grantees reported conducting 2,562 checkpoints and claimed $16.8 million in overtime expenditures between October 2009 and September 2010.
Statistics show that checkpoints more often result in citations for unlicensed motorists or for those with suspended or revoked driver's licenses than for alcohol-related offenses.
- The 2,562 checkpoints administered by law enforcement resulted in nearly 28,000 citations to unlicensed motorists and approximately 7,000 arrests for driving under the influence.
OTS is not required to nor does it verify the checkpoint information—in its annual reports, the checkpoint data was self-reported by its grantees.
On a limited and informal basis, OTS monitors whether its grantees comply with guidelines.
Our review of five checkpoints conducted by different law enforcement agencies disclosed that each could reasonably demonstrate compliance with the Ingersoll guidelines.