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Check out recent stories or press releases about the City Auditor’s work. For presentations and KTOP TV-10 articles, see Community Outreach.

10/09/25

Oakland audit finds slow police emergency response times, asks for change

OAKLAND – (KRON) — Almost a third of 9-1-1 calls in Oakland are answered after 60 seconds. These response times of the Oakland Police Department have received growing concern from residents and businesses. A recent report by Michael C. Houston, the Oakland Auditor, found that the city has slow police emergency response times due to insufficient staffing levels, lack of bilingual staff and trouble filling dispatcher vacancies.

10/08/25

Oakland watchdog slams city for ‘slow and inequitable’ 911 responses

Inadequate staffing and language barriers prevent Oakland police dispatchers from answering 911 calls quickly, city auditor finds.

OAKLAND – A new investigation by the city auditor has found that Oakland’s 911 call center is understaffed, calls aren’t picked up quickly, language barriers prevent fast intake of calls, and serious crimes aren’t being quickly responded to by officers in East Oakland, among other problems.

08/18/25

What should Oakland’s auditor investigate?

The city’s financial watchdog is asking residents to fill out a survey telling his office what issues in Oakland need to be audited.

OAKLAND – Oakland’s financial watchdog is starting to plan what to investigate next year, and the office wants feedback from residents.

06/25/25

Oakland hired a contractor to help people with AIDS. But services weren’t delivered

A new investigation by a city watchdog found the AIDS Project of the East Bay couldn’t account for how it used a $100,000 grant.

OAKLAND – Federal funds that were supposed to be used to help residents with HIV or AIDS secure housing and medical assistance have gone unaccounted for, according to a new investigation. A report published by the city auditor last week identified glaring problems with the AIDS Project of the East Bay. Founded in 1983, the AIDS Project’s mission is to prevent new HIV infections and help residents living with the virus.

05/01/25

Oakland Continues Overtime Payments 2 Months After City Auditor’s Probe Called Them Waste

OAKLAND – Two months after Oakland’s city auditor identified over $1.6 million in excess overtime, the city has continued the payments as it attempts to locate documents that show they are authorized. The city auditor’s investigation, which was prompted by a July 2023 anonymous whistleblower complaint, found the city overpaid dozens of employees in the departments of transportation and public works. According to a report released Feb. 20, the investigation reviewed payroll records dating back to 2018 and found the city used formulas for calculating overtime that exceeded federal guidelines established by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

04/25/25

Oakland overpaid city workers nearly $1.7M in OT due to faulty calculations, audit finds

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — The City of Oakland has found that it was overpaying overtime to some employees, totaling more than $1.5 million. Despite knowing the problem, the city is not going to fix it – just yet.

02/24/25

Oakland overpaid city workers nearly $1.7M in OT due to faulty calculations, audit finds

OAKLAND – Oakland spent nearly $1.7 million on unauthorized overtime in two departments during a period of several years due to a payroll system problem, according to a recent city auditor’s report.

02/21/25

Oakland city auditor finds payroll system problem, unauthorized overtime payments

OAKLAND – Oakland spent nearly $1.7 million on unauthorized overtime in two departments during a period of several years due to a payroll system problem, according to a recent city auditor’s report. From at least January 2018 to May 2024, Oakland overpaid 158 employees in the city’s Department of Transportation and 368 employees in Public Works because its payroll system was using “a method for calculating overtime that differs from what the Fair Labor Standards Act requires,” according to City Auditor Michael Houston.

02/21/25

Audit Finds Overtime ‘Waste’ in Oakland, Suggesting a Widespread Spending Problem

OAKLAND – Oakland has been paying employees in two departments excessive overtime for years, according to an investigation by the city auditor’s office, which said its findings likely indicate a wider organizational problem — costing millions the city doesn’t have as it faces a massive budget crisis. The auditor’s office found that workers in the Transportation and Public Works departments have been overcompensated by more than $1.6 million for overtime hours since 2018.

02/21/25

Audit finds Oakland paid $1.6M in excessive overtime pay over 6 years in several departments

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — As Oakland faces a massive budget crisis, an auditor has found the city has been overpaying some employees for overtime.

02/20/25

Oakland has been paying too much overtime to city workers, watchdog reports

The City Auditor found that Oakland paid at least $1.6 million more than what was required to city workers between 2018 and 2024.

OAKLAND — For at least six years, Oakland has been paying more than it needs to for overtime work to some of its employees, according to an investigation by the City Auditor published on Thursday.

05/05/24

Oakland auditor says lack of leadership, other issues led to city missing retail theft prevention grant deadline

OAKLAND — The office of Oakland’s city auditor released a report Tuesday on the city’s failure to apply for an anti-retail theft grant in 2023, placing the blame on several factors including the lack of organizational leadership as well as poor interdepartmental coordination. The report described the failure as a lost opportunity for Oakland to fund critically-needed staff and equipment, though it added that the grant money was by no means guaranteed. Of the police agencies that successfully applied for the grant, only 33% were awarded it.

05/01/24

Audit: Absent leadership, poor communication led to Oakland missing out on $15 million grant

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Absent leadership and a lack of any grants management policy. That’s what a new 37-page audit released this week says contributed to the city of Oakland missing out on more than $15 million worth of state grant funding to help fight retail theft.

01/02/24

Oakland’s Measure Q money going unspent as fire danger at parks worsens 

Oakland underspent tax revenue meant to maintain and improve local open space

OAKLAND — Just before the pandemic helped plunge the city into financial crisis, Oakland voters did what they usually do at the ballot box: approve a new tax, this one intended to maintain and improve the city’s various parks. Three years later, the tax has accumulated millions of dollars, but a new audit finds the city also underspends the revenue each year — accumulating about $22 million in rolled-over balance at a time when fire-safety advocates describe Oakland’s parks as lacking maintenance and being at high risk for wildfires.

09/14/23

Oakland’s financial watchdog reflects on the city’s transformation

City Auditor Courtney Ruby is leaving her job after 13 years. She says the city has changed in important ways.

OAKLAND — City Auditor Courtney Ruby announced last week that she is taking a job with the San Diego Association of Governments starting in October. The new gig will be similar to her job in Oakland but on a larger scale. Ruby will evaluate how San Diego County’s 19 local governments use their time and money, and investigate whistleblower complaints about fraud and abuse.

09/06/23

What does Oakland’s City Auditor do?

The City Auditor investigates fraud, waste, and abuse. Here’s a list of what the auditor is working on over the next year.

OAKLAND — Oakland’s auditor is the city’s financial watchdog. The auditor is elected by Oakland voters and has the freedom to investigate any part of city government. Their main goal is to ensure that Oakland’s departments, programs, and city staff are operating as efficiently as possible. However, the auditor can also identify fraud and abuse and look into whistleblower complaints when someone thinks there’s something wrong happening.

08/28/23

A power struggle in Oakland Chinatown surfaces in a critical audit

A new report faulted the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council for chaotic meetings and confusing votes. But some stakeholders say the audit is a political broadside.

OAKLAND — According to a new audit issued last week by City Auditor Courtney Ruby, the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, which was created two years ago to provide increased services and safety in the neighborhood, has been poorly managed, at times violating best practices around transparency and governance.

08/25/23

Oakland audit calls for more accountability in business districts

Report spurred by whistleblower claims about Chinatown group confirms problems and suggests citywide compliance push

OAKLAND — A new city audit has found that the Oakland Chinatown Community Benefit District failed to follow common nonprofit practices in establishing its board of directors and that the board’s actions have on occasion lacked integrity and transparency.

09/28/22

Report: Insufficient data central to Oakland, Calif.’s homelessness shortcomings

OAKLAND (American City & County) — Over a period of three consecutive years beginning in 2018, Oakland, Calif.’s housing program, which is managed by third-party service providers, served a total of 8,683 participants via contracts worth $69 million—sometimes successfully, sometimes not so successfully.

09/23/22

Oakland audit reveals inability to track homelessness services: Advocates for homeless Californians say cities are mishandling a growing crisis.

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — Housing experts say cities like Oakland and Los Angeles may be mismanaging the task of procuring housing for increasing numbers of unsheltered people, with recent audits revealing a lack of coordination and transparency.

09/23/22

Audit Shows Oakland Spent $70 Million on Homelessness Programs Without Tracking Outcomes

OAKLAND (KQED – Article) — A new report by Oakland’s top watchdog shows the city isn’t effectively tracking outcomes from the millions of dollars it has allocated toward services for unhoused people over the past few years.

09/21/22

Oakland is Poorly Tracking Success Rates of Homeless Services, Auditor Reports

OAKLAND (KQED – Morning Edition/Audio) — A new report by the city of Oakland’s top watchdog shows the city isn’t effectively tracking whether the millions it’s allocated toward services for unhoused people have been successful.

09/20/22

New audit finds critical flaws in Oakland’s management of homeless housing Oakland failed to track basic outcome data, according to report

OAKLAND (BayAreaNewsGroup) — Oakland spent tens of millions on third-party homeless service providers without properly tracking important data — such as whether they succeed in keeping people housed, according a critical new audit.

09/20/22

Audit: Oakland homeless shelters, services falling short: Despite spending $69 million over three years, the city failed to sufficiently track contractors’ work, an audit found.

OAKLAND (Oaklandside) — A long-awaited audit of Oakland’s homelessness services found that the city is not moving enough residents into permanent housing and not collecting enough data to determine how well the programs are running.

04/15/21 (Video)

Audit finds Oakland ‘not adequately prepared’ to handle homeless encampment crisis

OAKLAND (ABC7 News) – An audit of Oakland’s response to the rise in homeless encampments found the city was “not adequately prepared to shoulder such a massive project. The city did not have a strategy,” Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby told ABC7 News. “They were overwhelmed by that crisis.”

04/14/21

Oakland ‘not adequately prepared’ to deal with homeless encampments, city audit finds

OAKLAND (SF Chronicle) — A city audit of how Oakland conducts homeless interventions found that the city lacked an effective strategy in dealing with a growing number of unsheltered residents living on city streets, and failed to give policy directions and adequate funding to handle the crisis.

04/14/21

Audit: Oakland’s $12.6 million homelessness response lacked strategy, direction

OAKLAND (Mercury News) — Oakland’s $12.6 million effort to deal with its recent explosion of homeless encampments was haphazard, lacking strategy, policy direction and adequate funding, according to a scathing new city audit.

03/23/21

The Police Commission and Community Police Review Agency Audit Wins National Recognition!

The Knighton award recognizes the best performance audit reports of the year using the Exceptional and Distinguished categories. Audit shops compete against peer shops of similar size, for this award.

Our Office was awarded a Distinguished Knighton Award for a medium size audit shop for the Police Commission and Community Police Review Agency Audit. Judges found this audit to be especially timely and impactful, noting “The report not only examines specific concerns of citizens and City leaders, but also acknowledges the tumultuous climate surrounding policing in America. The audit provided a thorough and well documented look at issues facing the Oakland Police Commission and the Community Police Review Agency, including the complex dynamic present between those groups and other offices within the City. Recommendations were specific, clear, and effectively addressed fundamental causes of the issues identified.”

09/30/20

Audit: After Ghost Ship, Oakland Fire Department still failing to inspect buildings

OAKLAND — Hundreds of schools, apartment buildings went unchecked since deadly 2016 warehouse fire

07/21/20

Oakland’s Police Commission resists oversight, accountability

OAKLAND — Oakland’s first Police Commission is flouting the very principles assigned to its formation when more than 80% of city voters created the commission in 2016 to oversee policies and procedures of Oakland’s troubled police force.

06/26/20

Oakland auditor: Police commission ‘deliberately’ resisting recommendations

OAKLAND — City Auditor Courtney Ruby says the city police commission is “deliberately resisting responding” to a list of recommendations in her office’s audit report and is calling on Oakland residents to pressure the commission to comply with its findings.

06/03/20

Oakland City Auditor critical of citizen-led Police Commission

OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland’s City Auditor released a report this week critical of the Oakland Police commission

06/02/20

Audit: Rocky start for Oakland’s Police Commission, Police Review Agency

OAKLAND — Report cites lack of planning, administrative obstacles, ‘insufficient structure’ from its inception two years ago

05/29/20

City audit finds Oakland Police Commission falls short of duties, has too much responsibility

OAKLAND — A blistering city audit of the Oakland Police Commission found that the civilian watchdog group has not completed several of its City Charter requirements, lacks organizational structure and suggested it wields too much power in its ability to fire the police chief.

04/16/20

Coronavirus: Oakland Auditor says city must ‘move quickly’ to avoid fiscal crisis

01/13/20 (Video)

Oakland Launches Homelessness Audit

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – An audit of homelessness services looks to determine just how many encampments there are and if clearing them is the best use of public money. Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby and Councilmember Nikki Fortunado Bas partnered together to launch this audit, which both say is long overdue.

 

06/20/19

Oakland police exceed overtime budget by $13.7M per year, new report says

OAKLAND (KRON) — The conduct of the Oakland Police Department has caused controversy in the past and now there are concerns about how much money the department spends on overtime.

06/10/19

Audit Reveals OPD’s Overtime Budgetary Practices In Dire Need of an Overhaul

OAKLAND — Over last four years Oakland Police Department Averaged Nearly $30 million in overtime costs and issues raised in 2015 audit remain unresolved.

09/14/18

Audit Finds Businesses Wait Long Time For City Tax Refunds

OAKLAND — It takes the city of Oakland between three months and a year to pay refunds to businesses who overpaid their city taxes, a report by city Auditor Brenda Roberts concludes.

05/29/18
Oakland Fire Department spent Measure M & N proceeds as intended, but audit stresses the need for better management of controlled substances and more detailed spending plans

The Office of the City Auditor released the audits of Measures M (Emergency Medical Services Retention Act) and N (Paramedic Services Act in 1997) for fiscal years (FY) 2015-16 and FY 2016-17.

05/29/18
Audit of Measure Q determined expenditures substantially met requirements, with two possible exceptions

The Office of the City Auditor released the audit of Measure Q for fiscal years (FY) 2013-14 through FY 2016-17.

02/16/18
On Anniversary of 911 Emergency System, Oakland Gets Poor Marks for Response Times

Oakland’s police chief and city administrator acknowledge that 911 dispatchers there are overworked and understaffed. Christin Ayers reports.

11/17/17
After three audits, Oakland Fire Department still not properly inspecting hills homes

OAKLAND — Four years after the initial vegetation inspection audit of the Oakland Fire Department and two years after a follow-up report uncovered significant lingering problems, the city auditor has found this week that the embattled agency still remains out of compliance in monitoring the city’s fire-prone hills.