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THE EASTSIDER - On September 12th, Controller Kenneth Majia was the primary speaker at our Glassell Park Improvement Association. (GPIA) monthly meeting. It was clear that he is young, comfortable with technology, and really into his subject matter
After introducing himself, he immediately brought up the Controller’s website, which you can find here . It’s a good site, and everything they do is basically available somewhere on the site. Most of his talk was using the site to highlight some interesting date, such as the City Council overspending in the current fiscal year something like 87 Billion dollars.
Another interesting fact is there 260 lawsuits filed against the City this year. There ais other neat data on the site such as the budget and expenses for each of the fifteen Council Districts (I’m guessing that the current Council Members are less than thrilled as the November election is upon us, at least those on the ballot.
One impact of continuous overspending by the Mayor and the Council that there is a direct impact on staffing - for example, the employee count for the Controller this year has gone from 200 down to 146, a significant cut for those who handle the City payroll. Also, these are the staff who do audits of city departments.
Mejia went through the Controller’s website.
Audits & Reports
One of the significant functions of the Controller is to perform audits of departments and projects. If you go on the website to ‘Single Audit Reports’, you will find a 55 page document listing them by Department.
Of the Reports, the one that really got to me was the Transparency Report on Los Angeles Animal Services - Shelter Operations & Animal Care. Here’s the link.
What was nice about the presentation was that it generated a lot of questions, with the audience really getting into the innards of the Controller’s Office and all of the information that’s just a click or two away.
The GPIA
We are one of the areas in LA that have both a Neighborhood Council, and a long-standing Improvement Association - The Glassell Park Improvement Association, usually referred to as the GPIA. Founded in 1968, the GPIA’s mission is to improve the quality of life for the Glassell Park community. To that end, GPIA identifies community needs, advocates with political entities, and implements community beautification programs. You can find the GPIA at www.GPIA.org.
(ABE GURKO is the executive producer of a documentary “Won’t Be Silent,” about the extraordinary Women of Protest Music. He's an Opinionator who hosts a podcast, "Won't Be Silent," engaging in conversations from the edge of democracy. Abe is a contributor to CityWatchLA.com. [email protected].)
