Topline:
Santa Ana City Councilmember Benjamin Vazquez on Monday requested that the California Attorney General Rob Bonta investigate the city’s Police Officers Association and how it spends taxpayer dollars.
The background: The city of Santa Ana contributes taxpayer dollars to the police union’s independently managed health benefit account.
What does the audit say? Vazquez said the first audit of those funds, conducted in 2023, showed that the city overpaid the union by about $3 million. Despite the overpayment, the POA’s health benefit account is running at a deficit of more than $600,000. The union did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.
Vazquez says: Vazquez said in a statement that the Attorney General’s oversight is crucial to determine whether the POA is misusing public dollars. "Santa Ana families work hard and pay their taxes, they should never have to worry about their money being mismanaged,” he said. “A $3 million overpayment and a deficit raise serious red flags that demand answers.”