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Anonymous Donor Sends L.A. County Check for $10K
A copy of the check (Image via Zev Yaroslavsky's site)
What would you do if you got an anonymous check for $10,000? If you're one of the top money folks for Los Angeles County, well...you'd cash it. You know, to see if it was real. In the case of a check that arrived recently to the County from Washington state, it was, in fact real. So why would someone do this?
According to L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, the check, sent from Everett, Washington, came with a note: “In this time of economic difficulties, governments need all the help they can get. Please put this anonymous check to good use. God bless you.”
County auditor Wendy Watanabe says she's surprised and "elated" that someone would write and send such a check, but they may never learn who it came from or why it was sent.
For now, because of bank confidentiality rules, there’s no way to know much beyond the basics. The check was mailed directly to the Auditor-Controller’s Office. It was purchased at Banner Bank on May 2 and lists a toll free number in Walla Walla, Wash. A bank representative, contacted by a writer for Supervisor Yaroslavsky’s website, would reveal only that the transaction occurred at a branch in the town of Bellingham, about 90 miles north of Seattle. The branch employee who issued the check did not return several phone calls.
The funds were not earmarked for any particular use, and will likely go into the County's general fund.
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