In an interview with The Times, Cohen said that his accomplishments included publishing the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) close to its due date.
The report, which has been used for years by credit agencies to monitor the state’s financial health, has been published months behind schedule. 2024 CalMatters report says it’s too late for at least six years.
Cohen said part of the issue is that departments are delaying turning over their information.
Cohen also pointed to his work leading a task force that was convened by court order following a massive fraud scheme involving charter schools in San Diego. A network of online charter schools fraudulently obtained at least $400 million in state school funds from 2016 to 2019, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.
Cohen fell short on some key campaign promises he made during his first race for controller.
In 2022, Cohen told The Times she would audit homelessness programs and determine whether the billions of dollars the state is investing are addressing the crisis.
He too told CalMatters She will examine the Employment Development Department, the Department of Motor Vehicles and homeless programs.
Cohen recently told the Times that his office did not audit EDD because the state legislature was already reviewing the agency, nor did it audit the DMV because the legislature and state auditors were reviewing.
Asked if he had conducted an audit on homelessness, Cohen said, “Yes…there were some audits provided for that. I can give you a copy of the audit.” But a spokesperson told The Times that the office audited “other high-risk areas”.
Cohen faces criticism for his handling of a comptroller-led program that returned uncashed checks, funds from old bank accounts and other money owed to state residents.
A cbs investigation It was found that the state has billions of dollars of unclaimed money, which earns interest. Other states have higher refund rates because they are more aggressive in actively searching for owners.
A spokesman for Cohen told The Times that his office is using the media to spread information about unclaimed money and has digitized the claims system.
Cohen has the endorsement of Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate Pro Tem Monique Limon, as well as the California Democratic Party.
