April 2013 L.A. County STARS! Winner

Redevelopment Agency Team

Category: Service Excellence & Organizational Effectiveness

State law required the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies (RDAs) by February 1, 2012.  With more than $1.3 billion in property taxes distributed annually to the RDAs, this change had a profound effect on property tax allocation and government finances.  The change required the Department of Auditor-Controller to provide funding to RDAs for “enforceable obligations,” and redirect the balance to local schools and government entities to improve services to their constituents.

An RDA Team, consisting of staff from the Auditor-Controller, Board of Supervisors, Chief Executive Office (CEO), and County Counsel, was formed and moved quickly to become leading experts on the new RDA rules, including addressing issues on coordination, legal interpretations, and communication with the State, the RDAs, and local agencies.  To date, the RDA Team has successfully met all statutory deadlines, and redirected over $742 million from 71 RDAs to schools and government entities.  A portion of these funds has also helped to fund local housing projects and provide funding for critical services to our constituents.

April 2013 L.A. County STARS! Winner

Association of County Investigators (ACI)

Category: Workforce Excellence

Office of County Investigations (OCI) created an Association of County Investigators (ACI) to bring together County employees in investigative services to share and improve their knowledge in their chosen field. ACI provides meetings at which industry trends and unique aspects of fraud investigations are discussed. The meetings also provide professional development hours on emerging issues and best practices. Concurrent with the development of the association, an ACI website has also been developed.

The website serves as a portal for members to the latest news and professional updates in the investigations field. Media articles and industry journal contributions are updated to the website regularly, and members receive an automated e-mail when these updates occur to trigger each member’s exploration of the ACI website. The site also provides information on upcoming training opportunities, employment solicitations, and links to websites of interest like the Certified Fraud Examiners and the County Fiscal Manual.