Oakland's elected Auditor is the city's independent watchdog. The latest findings, summarized — with links to the full reports.
Week of August 31–September 6, 2026 · Updated Monday, August 31, 2026 · Source: Oakland Legistar (live)
A citywide staff survey (555 responses) rated Oakland's overall ethical climate “medium,” with employees flagging gaps in transparency and leadership accountability.
A performance audit of the city's illegal-dumping efforts (2019–2025). Public Works leads cleanups — spending neared $12M in FY2024–25. The audit calls for easier access to legal waste disposal and stronger enforcement and remediation.
A Council-funded audit of the Revenue Management Bureau found Oakland didn't collect all the business tax it was owed (annual business-license revenue ran $101M–$123M), lacked systems for accurate, timely billing, and hadn't identified all taxable businesses.
An audit of the three bodies that oversee OPD — the Police Commission, Community Police Review Agency, and Office of the Inspector General — found they need more resources and stronger independence to do the job, which traces back to the 2003 federal reform agreement.