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Friends,
As we bid farewell to 2024 and welcome the New Year, the Office of the City Auditor wishes you a joyous and prosperous 2025!
The past year presented some challenges but has also been a year of growth, resilience, and progress. We at the City Auditor's Office remain committed to enhancing government accountability and transparency for the benefit of all Oakland residents.
Last year, with your support, the Office of the City Auditor:
- Welcomed me as the newly elected City Auditor via the 2024 Special Election, as well as the addition of Community Outreach & Engagement Advisor Brianna Horton and Senior Performance Auditor Marisa Lin.
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Published five performance audit reports, and two audit recommendation follow-up reports available on our website for your review.
- Completed impartial financial analyses of three ballot measures the voters considered during the November 2024 Election.
- Presented seven reports to the City Council and Council Committees.
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Launched a new campaign designed to help us advance the implementation of our outstanding recommendations (you can learn more about the campaign and become an Oakland #ARFU Champion by submitting your interest online here).
- Hosted our first Open House and Community Listening Session in our Office, where more than 15 people showed up to share their thoughts and express their concerns.
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Reviewed over 100 whistleblower complaints submitted to our Whistleblower Hotline and published two investigations requesting corrective action from the City Administration and City Departments.
In hindsight, together, we accomplished quite a bit in 2024! Before we take flight in 2025, we want to offer our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported our work thus far and encourage you to continue to partner with us and report and relay your concerns to my Team.
In the coming year, we will continue to:
- Conduct independent and impartial audits of critical City programs and services to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and compliance.
- Investigate complaints and address concerns about City services and operations.
- Provide valuable insights by sharing our findings and recommendations with the City Council, City Administration, and the public to foster more informed decision-making and improve service delivery.
- Promote transparency and accountability by increasing public understanding of our Office's core functions, City finances, and operations.
Stay tuned for more invitations to engage more deeply with us this year. We have prioritized community engagement and would warmly welcome any invitations for us to join you at your next community meeting, Neighborhood Council meeting, or Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) meeting.
You'll also hear from us soon when we publish our performance audit of the City’s Kids First Fund for Children and Youth Act and later when we publish our performance audit of Emergency Response Times. In addition, with help from our talented graduate students from UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy, we will complete performance audits of Illegal Dumping, the City’s Vacant Property Tax, and the Oakland Police Commission & Community Police Review Agency. Other reports our Office will release include our Annual Whistleblower Report and our Annual Work Plan.
A strong and accountable government is essential for a thriving community, and we are honored to serve and work with you. We look forward to building a brighter future for our City together.
Again, wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with joy, health, and prosperity.
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