NEWS Continued from previous page
the county for completing the audit.” When contacted by the Lost Coast Outpost about the Workforce Development Board Executive Committee’s meeting, Paz Dominguez seemed unaware the firm had withdrawn, at least temporarily from the single audit process, saying that while the process had been delayed by staff turnover, COVID-19 and other issues, she believed the firm had all it needed and expected the audit would “be published by our external auditors within the next three months.” Paz Dominguez has been a polarizing figure in county government since before her election in 2018, which came on the heels of her raising questions about the office’s operations and whether it was providing sufficient oversight on spending of taxpayer monies. While she has billed herself as a reform agent working diligently to protect the county against fraud and waste in the face of lackadaisical safeguards, her tenure has been dogged by complaints from within county government that her office is unresponsive while missing numerous and vital deadlines, putting county reimbursements and funding streams at risk and leaving some county vendors unpaid. Paz Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
Dominguez has maintained her office is understaffed and other county departments’ accounting and documentation processes have often made it impossible to reconcile the county’s books in a timely manner. Many of the frustrations, she has maintained, stem from her reforming the office from one that “rubber stamps” fiscal documents from other departments to one that truly protects the public interest. The board of supervisors voted 4-1, with Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone dissenting, to hire an independent third-party to investigate allegations of workplace misconduct and delayed payments related to five complaints it had received regarding Paz Dominguez. Since then, the discord — and dysfunction, some would charge — has only continued, with outside agencies now joining the chorus. First 5 Humboldt Executive Director Mary Ann Hansen recently reported that her organization’s annual audit missed a state deadline due to late reporting by the Auditor-Controller’s Office. Because the organization is funded through tax revenue, it’s dependent on the county to provide year-end fund balances and
other accountings. Hansen also said the office had been nonresponsive for a couple of months, despite numerous attempts by First 5 to make contact and get answers. Hansen later told the Lost Coast Outpost First 5 had asked for a deadline extension from the state for the first time in 20 years. In presenting the Fortuna Unified High School District Board of Trustees with a draft no-confidence letter in Paz-Dominguez to be sent to the board of supervisors, Senestraro said he tried to be “nice” and “brief” when drafting the letter, which charges the auditor-controller with a “dereliction of duty,” while questioning her professionalism and the quality of her work. The letter charges that the Auditor-Controller’s Office has not yet closed the books for “any month” during the 2020-2021 fiscal year, failed to post interest and missed the statutory deadline for posting property taxes each of the last two years, all of which “has resulted in major fiscal implications for our small district.” Trustee Jeanne McClendon also noted the district had to take out a loan due to cash flow problems it blames on late dis-
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bursements from the Auditor-Controller’s Office, while another trustee trusteesaid the district has not yet received any interest payments from the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which the district alleges total roughly $80,000. Countywide, some $2 million is owed to school districts, the Trustee Anita Gauge said. Senestraro lamented that other local districts have yet to raise a fuss, at least publicly. “I don’t think anyone has stepped up,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because I think our county office should be taking this on for the districts.” The Workforce Development Board will take up its possible no-confidence vote Nov. 19 and has reportedly invited to Paz-Dominguez to attend and respond to the allegations facing her office. The meeting’s agenda — and a link to join via Zoom — can be found on the county’s website, www.humboldtgov.org. l Thadeus Greenson (he/him) is the Journal’s news editor. Reach him at 442-1400, extension 321, or thad@ northcoastjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thadeusgreenson.
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