ICYMI: CBS Confirms Lawmakers Ignored Most State Audit Warnings

SACRAMENTO — After more than a decade of warnings from the California State Auditor, Democrat lawmakers have failed to do the bare minimum: stop waste, prevent fraud, and fix what they were told was broken.

A new investigation by Julie Watts with CBS News California found lawmakers ignored three out of every four audit recommendations that required legislative action since 2015.

These were not surprise findings. Lawmakers requested the audits and taxpayers funded them.

Yet more than 300 recommendations remain unfinished. They cover everything from unemployment fraud and homelessness spending to wildfire risk and unsafe drinking water.

The cost has been staggering.

California lost over $20 billion to pandemic unemployment fraud after lawmakers ignored years of warnings about failures at the Employment Development Department. Another $20 billion was spent on homelessness programs with no statewide plan, no tracking of results, and minimal oversight.

Now, CBS News California Investigates is launching a new Audit Accountability Tracker. The public database will show what lawmakers were told to fix, and how often they failed to act.

The pattern is unmistakable: repeated warnings, no follow-through, and billions in taxpayer losses.

That leaves just one question:

Will Democratic lawmakers finally act or will this be another round of talk, more headlines, and more billions lost?

The media is now watching. Californians will be too.

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