LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
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controller.lacity.gov
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
@controller.lacity.gov
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Official account of the 20th LA City Controller, Kenneth Mejia, CPA
controller.lacity.gov
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controller.lacity.gov
LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia @controller.lacity.gov · Oct 27
NEW 🚨

In January 2023, LAPD killed three people suffering mental health crises.

In response, our Office assessed the LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU) & found that LAPD requires a patrol-first, armed response in mental health calls for service.

Full report:
bit.ly/lapdmeu
A collage of headlines about the killings of Takar Smith, Oscar Leon Sanchez, Keenan Anderson at the hands of LAPD, And the text: New Report: On the Sideline: Assessing LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit and SMART Co-response Model. Read the report: bit.ly/lapdmeu NEW ASSESSMENT: LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit We found that LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU) fails to prioritize mental health treatment & de-escalation. Instead, it prioritizes: - Relieving patrol units - Putting people in forced 72-hour detention Read the report: bit.ly/lapdmeu Quote by Controller Mejia: “Currently, the primary response that exists for mental health emergencies is the LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit’s SMART teams. MEU’s own stated mission is to prevent unnecessary incarceration and hospitalization and reduce violence – however, my Office’s assessment of LAPD MEU found that LAPD does little to prove MEU or SMART accomplish any of this.
Reposted by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
controller.lacity.gov
Our bathrooms / water fountains map has been used over 10,000 times this summer! 🚽💦

bathrooms.lacontroller.app

🚿NEW: mobile showers has been added to our map.

Share this resource with anyone who needs it!
September 1, 2026 at 8:02 PM
controller.lacity.gov
We received a Fraud, Waste, & Abuse tip:

An affordable housing developer was renting out their affordable units to friends and employees from another related entity.

Due to legal ambiguity around covenant language, we couldn't substantiate the claim.
September 4, 2026 at 4:12 AM
controller.lacity.gov
Our bathrooms / water fountains map has been used over 10,000 times this summer! 🚽💦

bathrooms.lacontroller.app

🚿NEW: mobile showers has been added to our map.

Share this resource with anyone who needs it!
September 1, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
awalkerinla.bsky.social
Controller Kenneth Mejia making good on his promise to at least attempt to get LA28 to open up its books.

"Today's data request is part of the Controller's robust financial oversight process to force visibility into the spending, commitments, and assumptions built into the Olympic Games budget"
"Open up the books!" - Controller Kenneth Mejia demands transparency over the 2028 Olympic Games, requests LA28 hand over financial records & statements After years of woefully inadequate financial records and statements, Controller Mejia submits a financial data request to LA28 to provide transparency and accountability on the Olympics LOS ANGELES - The Controller's Office submitted a data request to LA28 today to demand the organization provide financial records and statements owed to the City of Los Angeles. As the City's accountant, auditor, and paymaster, the Controller has a responsibility to protect City of LA taxpayers from the impact of the LA28 Olympic Games. As agreed in the 2017 Host City Contract, the City of LA is the financial backstop if the LA28 Games result in a financial deficit. LA taxpayers are exposed to potentially unlimited financial obligations and deserve full transparency from LA28 related to all spending and revenue incurred in the process of planning and executing the 2028 Olympic Games. Today's data request is part of the Controller's robust financial oversight process to force visibility into the spending, commitments, and assumptions built into the Olympic Games budget that the City's taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for if the Games are financially unsuccessful. The 2021 Games Agreement between the City and LA28 contains nine subsections that detail information LA28 must disclose annually. The Controller’s Office has determined that LA28 is only in compliance with two of those subsections, while six are incomplete and one is unknown. The missing information includes comparisons of financial forecasts vs. actuals, bank statements, schedules and budgets for venues, the identity of contractors and the values and purpose of contracts. When the City agreed to be the financial backstop for the Olympics in 2017, the budget was set at $5.306 billion. Since then, it has grown to $7.263 billion. Each time that expenses have increased, LA28’s projected revenues have similarly increased by the exact same amount. It is essential for LA28 to disclose all contractually required information so the people of Los Angeles understand the scope of the financial risk they are taking. Controller Mejia said, “We all want a successful 2028 Olympic Games, but its success cannot be at the cost of transparency and accountability to LA taxpayers. Any event of this size and cost requires rigorous financial scrutiny, and I intend to use my full authority under the City Charter to open up LA28’s books. The Controller’s Office looks forward to LA28’s timely cooperation with our data request and we look forward to working with LA28 as a collaborative partner.”
August 27, 2026 at 12:34 AM
controller.lacity.gov
🚨TOMORROW City Council may block some Charter reforms that WERE possibly headed for your Nov. ballot:

- Council expansion
- Ranked choice voting
- More LAPD oversight

📣Make your voice heard Fri 1pm at City Hall!
✍️Submit written comment:
lacouncilcomment.com CF 26-0489
Public Comment Form
lacouncilcomment.com
June 12, 2026 at 4:03 AM
Reposted by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia
controller.lacity.gov
🚨TOMORROW City Council may block some Charter reforms that WERE possibly headed for your Nov. ballot:

- Council expansion
- Ranked choice voting
- More LAPD oversight

📣Make your voice heard Fri 1pm at City Hall!
✍️Submit written comment:
lacouncilcomment.com CF 26-0489
June 12, 2026 at 4:02 AM
controller.lacity.gov
🚨TOMORROW City Council may block some Charter reforms that WERE possibly headed for your Nov. ballot:

- Council expansion
- Ranked choice voting
- More LAPD oversight

📣Make your voice heard Fri 1pm at City Hall!
✍️Submit written comment:
lacouncilcomment.com CF 26-0489
June 12, 2026 at 4:02 AM
controller.lacity.gov
🤝HELP MAKE CITY HALL MORE ACCOUNTABLE! (In less than 10 mins!) ᯓ➤

The Controller’s Office should have an independent budget (NOT decided by Mayor & Council).

An independent budget would protect us from political retaliation.

YOU can help! Email your Councilmember:
June 10, 2026 at 5:25 PM
controller.lacity.gov
🏢We ranked the TOP 100 PROBLEM RENTAL PROPERTIES in the City of LA

Top 3 addresses with the most housing violation cases:
🥇636½ N Hill
🥈11700 W Wilshire
🥉6650 W Forest Lawn

Look up violations for any residential address, Dec 2013 - Nov 2025:
prp.lacontroller.app
May 14, 2026 at 11:53 PM
controller.lacity.gov
WANT us to audit & do fraud, waste, and abuse investigations WITHOUT getting our budget cut in retaliation? ✂️

Want us to be able to audit any City program no matter how expensive & regardless of where that program is housed? 🔎

YOU can help us! 💪🏼

Charterreform.lacontroller.app
May 5, 2026 at 6:35 PM
controller.lacity.gov
MAYOR'S $14.8 BILLION PROPOSED CITY OF LA BUDGET JUST DROPPED‼️

FEW HIGHLIGHTS 🧵

🚔 LAPD: $223 Million INCREASE to $3.6 Billion

Includes increases in salaries, overtime, pensions, benefits, liability claims, & more. Includes hiring 510 officers to maintain a force of 8,555.
Budget Bar chart. The bigger the category or department's budget, the longer the bar is. Department Total Budget Police ($3.6B) $3.557.628.561 Other Special Purpose Funds ($2.5B) $2,545,282,776 Fire ($1.5B) $1.514.594.136 Sanitation ($1.1B) $1.069.890,629 Capital & Tech Improvements ($810M) $810,064,173 Wastewater Special Purpose Fund $499,903,538 Street Services $478,429,289 Recreation and Park $474.630.679 Transportation $398,059,754 Housing $384,921,950 Library $365,127,957 City Attorney $314,177,826 Building and Safety $262,923,803 Prop. A Local Transit Assist. Fund $253,358,910 Engineering $242.677,110 Other Agencies $183,707,300 Mavor $154.374.858 Bond Redemption and Interest $115,952,089 Finance $112.615.965 City Planning $111,561,348 Community Investment for Families $108,447,983 Council $106.132.869 Street Lighting $92,072,310 City Administrative Officer $88,310,805 Contract Administration $84.235,266 Prop. C Anti-Gridlock Tr
April 21, 2026 at 6:19 AM
controller.lacity.gov
Imagine finding $80 MILLION sitting IDLE around your house that you could have been using!

That’s what our office found when we looked at the City’s Special Funds for any funds that hadn’t been used for 2+ years!

Read our Idle Funds Report:
bit.ly/idlefunds
April 8, 2026 at 7:37 PM
controller.lacity.gov
🚨 VENDOR FRAUD

The City spent $461k & never got the goods! Our FWA Unit investigated & substantiated the allegation!

- City’s response led to $542k judgment against vendor
- Vendor can't do business w/ City for 3 years
- Defrauded city dept. is implementing our recommendations
The report cover. It's called "Fraud Waste and Abuse Investigative Report: GSD Unauthorized prepayments and vendor fraud"
April 2, 2026 at 4:41 PM
controller.lacity.gov
📸 125 SPEED CAMERAS ARE COMING TO THE CITY OF LA!

- Coming late summer / fall (first 60 days will be a warning period)

- Civil speeding fines will start at $50 if you go 11mph over the speed limit

Visit our map: speedcameras.lacontroller.app

LADOT info: ladot.lacity.gov/speed-safety...
March 31, 2026 at 11:13 PM
controller.lacity.gov
bathrooms.lacontroller.app is a map of public bathrooms in the City of LA.

The heat wave is going to reach extreme temps through Friday 3/20. Next week will only cool down a bit (highs will still be in the 80s until the end of the month)

Stay cool: Bookmark our map and -
March 19, 2026 at 12:12 AM
controller.lacity.gov
In 1999, the Controller’s Office had 205 positions. Today, staffing has fallen to 159 positions.

Tomorrow, the Charter Reform Commission could empower us to provide robust oversight & accountability - or keep our budget the same, exposing the City to serious risks.
Letter to charter reform commission As you reform the City Charter following the leaked tapes that severely damaged public trust in local government, it is essential to ensure the Controller has the authority and independence needed to help restore confidence in City Hall. To that end, we thank you for voting to recommend an independent budget for the Controller. However, we are concerned about the proposed language that uses our current operating budget as a baseline, which now stands at an incredibly low 0.29% of the General Fund after years of budget cuts. To allow the Controller’s Office to fulfill its Charter-mandated responsibilities as the City’s chief accountant, auditor and paymaster, we propose a baseline operating budget of 0.42% of the General Fund. The current 0.29% operating budget has hindered our ability to carry out our Charter-mandated functions due to insufficient staff and resources. In 1999, before the Charter reforms that gave the Controller the authority and responsibility to conduct performance audits, this office had 205 positions. Today, after years of budget cuts, staffing has fallen to 159 positions. Since 1999, the amount of money the Controller’s Office is tasked to oversee has grown exponentially. The General Fund has grown from $2.8 billion to $8.2 billion, and the City’s total annual budget now amounts to over $35 billion including proprietary departments. As the number of City employees, programs, and operations has grown, staffing at the Controller’s Office has dwindled due to repeated budget cuts. Our budget constraints create serious risks for the City, including: ● Inability to audit and provide reliable oversight over ALL departments and programs as mandated by the Charter ● Inability to effectively investigate hundreds of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse claims (We received 700 claims last year) ● Inability to proactively launch risk-based FWA investigations ● Elimination of the City’s Annual Preliminary report ● Delays in closing the accounting books at year-end and implementing the City’s budget ● Delays in implementing Council instructions for appropriating funds, including quarterly instructions from the Financial Status Reports ● Delays in payments to vendors and employees ● Inability to provide effective oversight over all city payments / spending ● Lawsuits and labor grievances due to delays in fixing payroll issues and implementing labor contract provisions ● Incurring penalties for noncompliance with tax laws ● Inability to train and assist Citywide accountants Despite these restrictions, the Controller's FWA unit was able to expose a $23 million fraud case related to a homeless provider not meeting contractual obligations and providing fake invoices. $23 million is also the size of the annual operating budget of the entire Controller’s Office. Adequate resources would allow the Controller to provide robust oversight, helping to restore trust in government. To empower the Controller to carry out the office’s Charter-mandated duties and provide the robust level of accountability and oversight expected by the people of Los Angeles, please support our recommended budget of no less than 0.42% of the General Fund, which would allow us to hire 240 employees. Less than one-half of one percent of the General Fund is a small price to pay for transparency and accountability. Bar chart showing Controller’s staffing levels decreased since 2009
March 16, 2026 at 10:54 PM
controller.lacity.gov
TOTAL LIABILITY PAYOUTS THIS FISCAL YEAR (SO FAR): 💲$157M 💲
Police $57M
Street Services $41M
Sanitation $22M
Transportation $6M
Fire $6M
Rec & Parks $4M
Animal Services $3M
Street Lighting $1M
All other departments combined $15M
#piday #piday2026
March 14, 2026 at 5:32 PM
controller.lacity.gov
How is the City doing financially in fiscal year 2026? 💰

Unfortunately, expenditures are outpacing revenues (again). Liability claims & departmental spending over budget continues to lead the way!

Check out our latest Revenue Forecast Report!
revforecast2027.lacontroller.app
March 14, 2026 at 3:06 AM
controller.lacity.gov
What's a performance metric you want to see from a City of LA Department? 🤔

Let us know in the comments‼️

Check out LAcitymetrics.lacontroller.app for our City metrics dashboard that shows financial spending metrics and performance metrics!
March 11, 2026 at 4:41 AM
controller.lacity.gov
🚨 TODAY IS THE DAY!

Support the Controller's Office in person, over Zoom, or send an email to [email protected] voicing your OPPOSITION to directly or indirectly take away from the Controller's Office current duties.

Charterreform.lacontroller.app
February 26, 2026 at 7:06 PM
controller.lacity.gov
We just found out that there is another proposal to destroy the Controller's Office at tomorrow's Charter Reform meeting.

Help us protect the Controller's Office!

📢Give public comment:
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 4pm
City Hall, Board of Public Works Session Room 350
February 26, 2026 at 2:54 AM
controller.lacity.gov
What do you notice about the City of LA's budget priorities over the past 13 years? 🤔

I'll point out one thing: the department that maintains, preserves, and enhances our roads, sidewalks, and trees has a SMALLER operating budget than it did 13 years ago!

Know which one? 🛠️
February 21, 2026 at 8:37 PM
controller.lacity.gov
RECORD liability payouts, underspending on capital infrastructure projects, and revenue shortfalls marked Fiscal Year 2025. 🚨

Read our Annual Comprehensive Financial Report at PAFR25.lacontroller.app

We know we can get on the right fiscal path with our recommendations:
February 19, 2026 at 11:28 PM
controller.lacity.gov
LOST OUT ON $100 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS for Active Transportation Projects⁉️

The City doesn't have the staff to implement these grants due to budget/staffing cuts. ✂️

Budget season is NOW! Create your own LA budget at mylabudget.lacontroller.app & submit to your Council Member!
February 18, 2026 at 1:01 AM
controller.lacity.gov
💔 Heart to heart on taxes and City of LA spending spending spending. 💔

Check out these sites for budget and financial info on the City of LA:

Budget.lacontroller.app
Revexp.lacontroller.app
Liabilityclaims.lacontroller.app

Create your own LA budget at mylabudget.lacontroller.app
February 13, 2026 at 5:56 PM