Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia is sounding the alarm about three proposed City Charter amendments that he says will undermine his office’s abilities and have unintended consequences for the city of Los Angeles.
In a memo sent to the City Council on Monday, Mejia urged the removal of the changes that council members will be considering Tuesday as part of a package of City Charter reforms. If approved, the council would instruct the city attorney to prepare and present a ballot measure for the voters to decide in the November election.
“As the city’s elected controller with the charter-mandated authority and responsibility to be the city’s chief accountant, auditor and paymaster, I wanted to express my concerns about several charter reform recommendations presented by the City Administrative Officer (CAO) and City Attorney for possible inclusion on the November ballot,” Mejia wrote in the memo.
“While these proposals were presented to the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform as ‘technical’ and ‘non-controversial’ seeking only to ‘clarify’ what is already in the charter, in reality, they could have far-reaching effects that have not been adequately considered by council, subject-matter experts, and the people of Los Angeles,” he continued.
On May 20, the committee forwarded a package of reforms intended to update and modernize the charter. Some were moved forward while others will be sent to the new Charter Reform Commission once it has been established. Mejia is currently working on an ordinance that would formally create the new commission, which would be tasked with reviewing and recommending changes to the City Charter in a more routine manner.
Neither City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto nor Council President Paul Krekorian, who chairs the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on City Government Reform, responded to a request for comment Monday.
Mejia is urging the council to strike Szabo’s two proposals to update Section 291, which outlines the powers and duties of his office. Szabo proposed to make the CAO the “chief financial officer” of the city, as well as allow his office to conduct performance audits.
A representative for Feldstein Soto’s office had proposed requiring all of the controller’s work be conducted under “generally accepted government auditing standards.”
Szabo had previously said that making the CAO the chief financial officer would provide additional clarification of the duties of his office. Mejia, however, says that interpretation reflects a “fundamental misunderstanding by the CAO regarding the responsibilities of ‘chief financial officer.”‘
“In addition, the proposed changes would mean that the city’s CFO would be a political appointee who isn’t required to have any financial background or independence from their appointing authorities,” Mejia wrote in his memo.
In response to the proposal to give the CAO the power to conduct performance audits, Mejia noted it was something that voters took away and transferred to the controller’s office as part of the 1999 Charter Reform package.
Szabo had previously referenced an ongoing audit, conducted by his office, of the city’s Vision Zero initiative — a plan to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities to zero by 2025 — as an example of a performance audit. Mejia countered that it is being done by an outside consultant, costing the city $500,000.
Mejia added that if a council member or the mayor would like a performance audit, there is a process to formally request one from the controller. Mejia also pointed out that while his office is limited in the number of performance audits it can do, they are tied to budget decisions.
The 2024-25 budget, approved by the City Council and being reviewed by Mayor Karen Bass, is expected to reduce the controller’s audit services division from 42 to 17 positions.
Mejia said the city attorney’s proposal would hinder work his office does that has nothing to do with auditing, such as accounting and payroll services.
“Our office supports much of the great work being done by the Ad Hoc Committee on City Governance Reform, especially their proposal to create an independent redistricting commission, even though such a commission removes appointment power not just from council and the mayor, but from the City Controller (and City Attorney) as well,” Mejia wrote in his memo.
“Our office is happy to cede that power to create a fairer, more independent redistricting process. However, as we make these important changes to the charter, we believe that it is essential that we do not detract from effective reforms with contentious proposals that haven’t been adequately debated or analyzed.”
