As California state controller, Betty Yee’s job includes being “responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources,” according to her office’s official website.
Yee’s office issued 49 million checks in payments worth $320 billion in 2018 in her capacity as “chief fiscal officer” for the state whose economy is the fifth-largest in the entire world. The state’s 2020 budget was $208.9 billion, but Yee’s office payments often cover multiple-year obligations.
Her job description also makes her “responsible for auditing all funds disbursed by the state and all claims presented for payment to [her office]. Performs independent audits of government agencies that spend state funds.”
Given Yee’s job duties and actions, Open the Books Chairman Adam Andrzejewski may be forgiven for being mystified by the California State Controller’s claim to be “unable to locate or otherwise provide” documentation of any of those payments.