Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia slams proposed City Charter changes

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.

“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.

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. “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.

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.

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