Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
Federal Judge Reviews Potential Auditors To Look Into LA Homelessness Services
The Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse is located along W 1st Street in downtown L.A.
(
Makenna Sievertson
/
LAist
)
Topline:
Three potential auditors made their bid before a federal judge Thursday afternoon to conduct what could be the most comprehensive picture of Los Angeles’ response to homelessness in years.
The judge’s message: U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter has been pushing the city and county to “change the presumption from the past” and more carefully account for public spending on addressing homelessness. He wants officials to send a message to service providers that if they can’t provide proper invoices and documentation, then they didn’t do the work and should face consequences.
Who are the potential auditors: Alvarez & Marsal, CliftLarsonAllen (CLA), and Horne LLP gave presentations going over how they’d address the audit, and Carter made sure all three teams understood the scale of what they’d be tasked with.
“When you step in here, you’re stepping into problems that society hasn’t been able to solve,” he said.
The backstory: The audit is the result of an ongoing, years-long lawsuit filed by a downtown business group, the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, against the city and county over its lack of progress on addressing homelessness.
What's next: Carter confirmed to LAist he planned to take at least the weekend to review Thursday’s presentations before choosing an auditor.
Sponsored message
Go deeper: …. Read more about the lawsuit and audit negotiations.
Updated April 4, 2024 at 7:37 PM PDT
This story was updated to clarify comments from Judge David O. Carter.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
