City Controller Wendy Greuel

Jul 20 2011

Fraudulent time cards

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—City Controller Wendy Greuel announced today she will audit the city’s Department of Animal Services in the wake of the alleged theft and sale of shelter animals by city employees.

“We need to get to the bottom of why animals are missing while addressing the allegations of waste, fraud and abuse within the Department of Animal Services,” Greuel said.

Jul 15 2011

Jaime de la Vega

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The City Council voted unanimously to approve Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s choice to lead the embattled city Department of Transportation.

Villaraigosa nominated Jaime de la Vega, one of his top deputies, to take over the department, which was the subject of scathing audits and embarrassing headlines throughout April and May.

May 24 2011

To be filled by an existing city employee

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The City Council voted 9-1 today to create an inspector general position to help fix the city’s poorly performing billing and collections processes, which cause the city to lose tens of millions of dollars per year in badly needed revenue.

The new position will be filled by an existing city employee—who will work inside the City Administrative Office—to get the effort under way as quickly as possible.

May 20 2011

Amir Sedadi on the hot seat

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called today for an investigation of the Department of Transportation and ordered the immediate end of its controversial "Gold Card Desk,'' which has helped some residents dispose of parking tickets.

Villaraigosa called for the probe in a letter sent to DOT Interim General Manager Amir Sedadi.

"Various issues over the past few weeks point to glaring weaknesses at LADOT,'' the mayor wrote.

''We are well beyond the point of isolated incidents or a coincidence of events.''

May 11 2011

12,000 city-owned cell phones

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The city wastes about $1 million per year on nearly 12,000 city-owned cell phones, City Controller Wendy Greuel said today.

Greuel's audit of seven city departments found that the city failed have any central oversight of cell phone contracts, and that no one department is responsible for ensuring city policies are followed.

Twenty percent of all staffers in non-revenue-generating departments have a cell phone, and the annual cost comes to about $4.8 million, according to Greuel.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.