This guide was produced in partnership between the LAist and Long Beach Post newsrooms. See all our guides at LBPost.com/elections.
What’s at stake in this race
The auditor is Long Beach’s internal financial watchdog. The core of the auditor’s job is making sure public funds are well-managed and spent as intended.
In their reports, auditors can recommend improvements to city departments, find money that’s being left on the table and even uncover fraud that could lead to criminal or civil cases.
Auditors are directly elected by voters and are expected to put out clear, transparent information so residents can see how their taxes and fees are being used.
What does the Long Beach auditor do?
- Audits city spending and revenue.
- Evaluates the performance of city programs and recommends how they can be improved.
- Investigates potential fraud.
- Reviews contracts, leases and internal city controls.
- Analyzes financial transitions and business deals.
You might know the Long Beach auditor from
- The auditor’s fraud hotline — anyone can report suspected fraud, waste or abuse by city employees by calling (888) FRAUD-07.
- Required annual reports issued by the auditor’s office, evaluating whether the city is accurately reporting how money is spent.
- Recent performance audits that have included whether Long Beach is efficiently spending money to repair city streets and an ongoing audit of its homeless services.
How to get involved if you suspect fraud or misuse of taxpayer funds
- You can report fraud in Long Beach by calling (888) FRAUD-07 or filling out this form.
- You can read the current city auditor’s recent reports here.
- If you want to contact the auditor or other city officials, you can find the contact information here.
Here are some things the Long Beach auditor doesn’t do
The auditor cannot make decisions about how city money is spent, just recommendations that the city manager and City Council may act on…