Lawmakers have delayed the reappointment of California’s longtime chief watchdog, State Auditor Elaine Howle, amid a review prompted by an anonymous letter that raised sharp questions about her management of the department.
The letter went to key lawmakers last August just before a legislative committee was expected to consider her reappointment to a fifth term for a post she has held since 2000.
The letter accuses Howle of permitting the kind of misconduct that she regularly highlights in other state departments. For instance, it asserts that Howle allowed a handful of senior employees to accumulate excessive amounts of unused leave, and that morale has deteriorated considerably among auditors. [Read Full Article]
