Dear Editor,
I would like also to extend thanks to the Ventura County Superior Court.
A couple of days before Thanksgiving, Moving Oxnard Forward won its lawsuit against the City of Oxnard, challenging the City’s unlawful employment of the same auditor year after year.
Here’s some background:
In the aftermath of the City of Bell scandal over a decade ago, the California legislature determined that some Certified Public Accountants were becoming too cozy with their municipal clients, making it less likely that their annual financial statement audits would uncover malfeasance.
In response, California adopted a statute prohibiting cities (and other local agencies) from employing an auditor who has performed audit services for that City for six consecutive years.
The City of Oxnard has brazenly employed the same auditor for 10 consecutive years, and the City was not ignorant of the law.
As early as 2018, elected Oxnard City Treasurer Phillip Molina – to whom I am thankful for making us aware of this situation – repeatedly alerted the City of this statute and insisted that the City follow the law.
However, instead of heeding Treasurer Molina’s advice, the City deemed Mr. Molina an annoyance, doubled down and extended its…
