Speak Up Today-What Should I Audit? And Annual Whistleblower Report & More...

INDEPENDENT CITY AUDITOR. REPORTING DIRECTLY TO THE RESIDENTS.

Office of the City Auditor Update

June 13, 2023

We Need Your Input Tell My Office What You Want Audited!

Today I am requesting your assistance – I want to know what frustrates you or keeps you up at night when it comes to City services. My team and I are putting together our audit plan for next year and we can’t do it without hearing from you.

The survey is a tool my Office is using to poll the community on areas in city government they want to see audited. We will publish our annual work plan in August on our website and it will be sent out in my newsletter as well.

In previous years, we developed our annual audit workplan based on the public’s input through community meetings, public polls, input from City leaders, and our Whistleblower Hotline. As such, my Office issued audits on homeless services, encampment management, fire inspections, and the City’s financial condition. You can read those reports, and all our other audits and investigations, here.

This survey will close June 30^th so don’t delay—take it today! This is a multilingual survey aimed to capture as many Oaklanders’ concerns and opinions as possible. So, help us out by sharing the survey to various neighborhood groups, or posting on Nextdoor, or social media platforms.

Click Here To Begin The Survey!

Whistleblower Program Annual Report Released

Today we are releasing our Annual Whistleblower Report (Report) covering Fiscal Year 2021-22 (July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022).

Notably, 153 complaints were filed in FY 2021-22, including allegations of misuse of City assets, theft, and falsification of reports, contracts, or records. A total of 157 cases were closed (4 of which were filed prior to FY 2021-22) and 28, or 18 percent, were closed after an investigation.

The Report provides details about the whistleblower investigation process, the number and types of allegations submitted, the characteristics of the whistleblowers, the allegations that warranted investigation, and concludes with a summary of the investigation outcomes and actions taken.

Read the entire Report via the link below and learn more about our Whistleblower Program in the last section of this newsletter.

Read the Annual Whistleblower Report Here!

Whistleblower Hotline Employee Survey The Results Are In, We Can Do Better!

In November 2022, my Office sent out a survey to City employees to gauge their understanding and awareness of our Whistleblower Hotline, and the results are in.

According to the survey, many City employees were not aware of the Whistleblower Hotline before taking the survey but said they would use it now knowing that it exists. The survey also revealed that while some employees were aware of fraud, waste, and abuse happening within the City, they chose not to report it because they did not believe anything will be done or they feared retaliation.

My Office is committed to addressing these concerns and ensuring the Whistleblower Hotline is an effective tool for promoting trust in government, accountability, and transparency. We will be taking steps to address these issues in the coming months, including promoting employee awareness of the Hotline through small group departmental discussions, brown bag lunches, and citywide emails.

Read the Results of the Employee Hotline Survey

Apply Today! Be a Budget Advisory Commissioner

Are you, or do you know someone who might be, interested in advising the City’s elected officials on expenditures, revenues, and financial policies? This is an excellent volunteer opportunity to put your skills to work for our City.

My Office is now accepting applications to fill a Budget Advisory Commissioner opening that I am responsible for appointing, to begin immediately, as part of Oakland’s Budget Advisory Commission (BAC), a fifteen-member volunteer citizen board.

Click the link below to find out more about the BAC, the skills and abilities Commissioners are expected to have, and to review or fill out the application.