Happy Veterans Day! This week, What is California? celebrates a milestone: Episode 10. We made it to double digits, everyone! 🔟 🥳
I thought it’d be good to celebrate the occasion with another milestone: What is California’s went back to the office for our first in-person interview. This week I spoke to Elaine Howle, who is known (and not just a little feared) statewide for her two decades of work as the California State Auditor. Her and her team’s examinations of state agencies and institutions like the University of California and the Employment Development Department have revealed layers of inefficiency, mismanagement, policy lapses, and even—in the case of the UC—interference with the audit itself.
And when I say I “went back to the office,“ the State Auditor’s office is one I highly recommend visiting. Where most waiting areas might feature old issues of Time magazine or Highlights For Kids with the address labels cut out, this one has rotating towers stacked with complimentary copies of audits with titles like EDD's Poor Planning and Ineffective Management Left It Unprepared to Assist Californians Unemployed by COVID‑19 Shutdowns. Who needs Sports Illustrated?
One of the phrases most commonly associated with Howle’s work is “scathing”—a Google search of her name with the term “scathing audit” turns up almost 900 results. But Howle, who is warm and affable in person, balks at the “scathing” label and would rather her non-partisan office be known for airtight, evidence-based work that speaks truth to power—be it Democratic power, Republican power, or any other type of power overseeing the complex levers of California’s bureaucracy (and the colossal budgets that come with them).
We spoke about Howle’s imminent retirement at the end of this year, as well as how (and when) her successor will be chosen. We also discussed her work forming the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the unique and highly influential body that is hard at work this week redrawing the boundaries of our state’s Congressional districts.
I’ve been doing remote chats with guests since July, which has been fine. But as I think you’ll be able to tell from listening (and from life in general), there is no substitute for a one-on-one live conversation. It was so nice to have interviewed a subject in person, and I hope to do a lot more of this in 2022.
Meanwhile, thank you for your ongoing listenership and readership! Please continue to share and refer folks to the show, and if you feel like chipping in a few shekels to help keep the lights on and the cat fed at What is California? HQ, you can become a supporter at Patreon. I’d be terrifically grateful.
Enjoy the show, and remember: Keep your eye on the bear! 🐻
Episode Notes
Elaine Howle is the California State Auditor.
I don’t particularly like that [“scathing audit”] characterization.What our audits are intended to do is—as I’ve said to staff and at legislative hearings—is speak truth to power. To let people know we’ve audited this program, we’ve looked at how the state agency is implementing this program, and we found some significant weaknesses, and it needs to be improved. Now, our language—the tone—is sometimes very strong, and some agencies don’t like it: “Oh, you’re just writing for headlines.” No. What we’re trying to do is write reports that are compelling—that will get somebody’s interest, and somebody will pay attention.
Notes and references from this episode:
auditor.ca.gov - California State Auditor home page
List of U.S. state auditors, Ballotpedia
Elaine Howle - 2012 Public Official of the Year, Governing Magazine
“State Auditor Elaine Howle is retiring,” David Lightman, The Sacramento Bee
EDD Follow-Up: Since the COVID-19 Pandemic It Continues to [...] Put Californians at Risk of Identity Theft, Auditor’s report on EDD (Nov. 19, 2020)
EDD's Poor Planning and Ineffective Management Left It Unprepared to Assist Californians Unemployed by COVID‑19 Shutdowns, Auditor’s report on EDD (Jan. 26, 2021)
Significant Weaknesses in EDD’s Approach to Fraud Prevention Have Led to Billions of Dollars in Improper Benefit Payments, Auditor’s report on EDD (Jan. 28, 2021)
“State Auditor Talks About Citizens Re-Drawing The Election Maps,” Capital Public Radio
2020 California Citizens Redistricting Committee
“UC President Napolitano Apologizes for Interfering With State Audit,” by Ana Tintocalis, KQED
The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams
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