NEW RELEASE: 2025 ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT 

On April 14^th, my Office released its 2025 Annual Report, detailing a year of high-impact oversight and significant progress in governmental accountability.

A major highlight is the Performance Audit of Police Emergency Response Times, which identified critical staffing shortages at the 9-1-1 Communications Center and led to 10 key recommendations to improve equitable, timely service, and as noted below, earned a Distinguished Knighton Award from ALGA.

The office also oversaw the implementation of 60 audit recommendations across various city departments, demonstrating a strong commitment to long-term corrective action through its semiannual audit report follow-up process.

Beyond audits, the report covers a wide range of Whistleblower Investigation reports to community outreach efforts. From substantiating over $1.6 million in excess overtime pay to uncovering mismanagement in senior centers and improper use of federal grant funds, the Whistleblower Program remains a vital tool for exposing fraud and waste within our City.

With forward-looking audits already underway for police oversight (recently released) and illegal dumping (coming very soon), this Annual report is essential reading for anyone interested in how the Office of the City Auditor is shaping a more effective and ethical Oakland through transparency, accountability, and community engagement. We encourage you to read the full report, here.

NEW RELEASE: AUDIT OF THE REVENUE MANAGEMENT BUREAU’S BUSINESS TAX COLLECTIONS PROCESS

On April 2nd, my Office released an audit report about the Revenue Management Bureau (Revenue Bureau) of the City of Oakland’s Finance Department.

During the 2024-25 midcycle budget process, the City Council requested and provided funding for the audit, amid concerns that the City was not collecting all the business tax revenue it was owed. The audit, contracted by the City Auditor’s Office, assessed the Revenue Bureau’s billing and collection of applicable City taxes and fees, and identified how the Revenue Bureau could increase collection of City taxes and revenues. The audit covered business tax collection activities from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024. During this time, annual business license revenue ranged from a low of $101 million (Fiscal Year 2021-22) to $123 million (Fiscal Year 2023-24).

The audit concluded that the Revenue Bureau did not collect all revenue owed to the City, did not have sufficient systems in place to ensure accurate and timely billing and collection of City taxes and fees, had not sufficiently collected taxes and revenues from identified businesses, and did not have sufficient processes for identifying businesses subject to business tax. You can read the full report here.