We've been hearing a lot about this independent financial audit of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass' flagship program to house the homeless, but there are some unanswered questions.
Federal Judge David Carter held yet another court hearing about auditing the spending of Bass' "Inside Safe," but he didn't put anybody under oath, describing the day-long session as merely a 'conversation.'
As KNX News's Craig Fiegener reports, during a hearing, Judge Carter asked City Controller Kenneth Mejia if his office could do the audit, but an attorney for the City of Los Angeles spoke up, saying it would be improper since Mejia is an elected official and could infuse political implications into his findings.
The attorney also noted that Mejia himself could use that info in a run for the mayor's office if he decided to run in the future.
A spokesperson for the Bass administration says the firm of Alvarez and Marsal has been hired to do the audit and that the city will pay for it, but the judge ordered everybody back to court at the end of August, so it remains unclear if the audit has actually started.
The Los Angeles City Council allocated just $2.2 million for this federally overseen audit, but according to published reports, it could cost up to $4 million.
KNX News has contacted the firm apparently hired to audit Inside Safe to find out if the work has started and, if so, how long it's expected to take.
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