Audit Committee Meeting - November 17, 2021: Equity in Recreation Programming Audit and Fraud Hotline Report
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Audit Committee Meeting - November 17, 2021
On November 17, 2021, the San Diego City Audit Committee met virtually via Zoom to discuss a performance audit of equity in recreational programming, review the quarterly fraud hotline activity report, and receive the city auditor's monthly activity report. The committee approved the previous meeting's minutes and unanimously voted to accept the equity audit report and forward it to the City Council, with an amendment to also refer it to the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods (PSNLN) Committee.
Consent Calendar
- The committee unanimously approved the committee action minutes of October 27, 2021, with Vice Chair Lakava, Committee Members Halpern, Tapsri, and Mafia voting yes.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda public comment: No speakers.
- Item IA (Equity Audit): One public speaker, Francine Maxwell, Canal Recreation Advisory Member, expressed support for the audit and highlighted the need for education and training on the Parks Master Plan, concerns about nepotism and racism in promotions, and the importance of community advocacy for equitable recreation.
Discussion Items
Item IA: Performance Audit of Equity in Recreational Programming
- City Auditor Andy Henous presented the audit, which found significant inequities in recreation programming funding, availability, and access between northern (Community Parks 1) and southern (Community Parks 2) areas of San Diego. Key findings included:
- Recreation centers in CP1 received 47% more funding on average than those in CP2.
- CP1 had twice as many programs and participants as CP2, driven by contracted programs.
- 55% of San Diego residents were unaware of available programs (vs. 24% national average).
- Fee waivers were limited to two programs and required burdensome applications.
- Language access was inadequate, with only 3 of 18 recreation centers in high-LEP areas offering Spanish program guides.
- The audit made 16 recommendations, including:
- Conduct a community needs assessment every five years.
- Develop a strategic plan for recreational equity.
- Implement a resource allocation model.
- Measure program quality.
- Hire a marketing professional.
- Expand fee waivers and language access.
- Improve data accuracy in ActiveNet.
- Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field agreed to all recommendations, contingent on sufficient resources.
- Deputy Director of Policy Matt Yagiagan expressed the mayor's commitment to equity and highlighted related initiatives (e.g., Parks for All of Us, Parks Master Plan).
- Council members (Moreno, Lakava, Halpern, Tapsri, Mafia) commented on the gravity of the disparities, praised the audit, and urged faster implementation. Chair Moreno moved to accept the report, forward it to City Council, and request that staffing/consulting costs be considered in the mid-year budget, with updated implementation timelines after FY23 budget passage. Vice Chair Lakava seconded, and an amendment to also send the audit to PSNLN was accepted.
Item II: Quarterly Fraud Hotline Activity Report – FY22 Q1
- Senior Fraud Investigator Andy Harita reported 53 fraud hotline reports received in Q1. 36 were within purview (6 assigned to city auditor, 30 to departments). 33 cases were closed, leaving 56 open. Six substantiated allegations led to corrective actions (e.g., medical leave fraud, code violations, theft). One city auditor investigation and four department investigations resulted in corrective actions.
- Committee members discussed advertising of the hotline and noted that most reports are anonymous; media coverage drives public awareness. The committee accepted the report unanimously.
Item III: City Auditor's Monthly Activity Report
- City Auditor Andy Henous summarized the office's pending and completed audits: two reports in writing (fiscal sustainability and lease holdovers), two in fieldwork (body cameras and workers' comp), one in planning (fire rescue IT), and eight not yet started. Five reports with 33 recommendations have been issued in FY22. The item was informational.
Item IV: Closed Session – Public Employment Performance Evaluation (City Auditor)
- No public comments. The committee adjourned into closed session.
Key Outcomes
- Motion on Item IA: The committee unanimously voted (5-0) to accept the performance audit of equity in recreational programming, forward it to the City Council, request consideration of resources in the mid-year budget, and send it to PSNLN. Implementation target dates will be updated after FY23 budget passage.
- Motion on Item II: The committee unanimously accepted the quarterly fraud hotline activity report.
- Next meeting: Scheduled for Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 9:00 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
And everyone, this is Tyler. He will be taking over at the new point of contact for our council committee. Morning, everyone. Welcome, Tyler. Welcome. Chair, if you're ready, we can begin. Absolutely. Good morning. Per executive order N0821, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act. The committee members will be participating via Zoom, and no member of the public will be in attendance at the meeting in the interest of public health and safety. In addition, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee liaison has made arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. We appreciate the public's cooperation. I'll go over the specifics on how to join the webinar, and then we're going to give details on how the public can offer their public testimony. I will now call the audit committee meeting of November 17th, 2021 to order, and I'm going to call the roll. Vice Chair Lakava. Present. Committee member Halpern. Present. Committee member Tapsri. Present. Committee member Mafia. Present. Each committee member is attending virtually. Also on the virtual meeting is Christina Gauger, Chief Compliance Officer. Lisa Byrne with the office of the IBA. David Carlin with the City Attorney's Office and our city auditor, Andy Hanao. The public may view the meeting on public television on City TV Channel 24 for Cox Communication and Time Warner Cable or Channel 99 for ATT. Or view the meeting online by going to the city's council committee homepage at Sandiego.gov and selecting the City TV Live Webcast blue button on the right's right hand side of the page. The committee meeting will be held virtually using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public can offer public comment on items by accessing the Zoom webinar online using a desktop computer laptop, tablet, or smartphone, or by calling in uh into the meeting using a smartphone cell, cellular or landline. The link to join the committee meeting webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone is listed on the agenda on how to join by iPhone one tab. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, you may either you may dial either one six six nine two five four five two five two when prompted input webinar ID number 161753 pound. Information is also available on the agenda and will appear on the screen during the public comment period for each item. Uh when I introduce the item you'd like to comment on, uh please raise your hand by either tapping the raise your hand button or by pressing star nine on your phone. You'll be uh you'll be taken in the order in which you raised your hand and you may only speak once on a particular item. Uh when our committee consultant Kevin Smith indicates that it's your turn to speak, he's gonna call on you by your name as it appears on the Zoom webinar attendee list, or he's gonna read out the last four digits of your phone number. If you've called into the meeting, um, this is how you're gonna know it's your turn to speak. Uh now if you if you've joined the webinar uh by tablet or smartphone, you're gonna receive a pop-up notice to select to unmute your device. If you've called into the meeting by cell phone or landline, press star six on your phone to unmute yourself. Um, I'm gonna review these instructions briefly again when the public comment period on an item is open. Please wait until the item you wish to speak to has been called before raising your hand to speak. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. When you uh are announced as the next speaker, please unmute yourself and offer your comments. Also, please uh mute the uh volume of your TV or computer before you begin to speak. Um, a quorum is now present, and we're gonna dispense with the approval of the committee action of October 27th, 2021. May I have a motion to approve the committee actions? Thank you. May I have a second? Halpern second. And have each committee member register their vote.
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