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City Financial Statements and Audit Findings (FY 2018-19)

Your City's financial statements contain significant accounting errors and control weaknesses—auditors found $3.72 million in embezzlement, poor cash tracking, and inadequate oversight of your tax dollars.

Nov 9, 2021

Apr 28, 2026

city council

The Compton City Council met on April 28, 2026, and took several significant actions. The council approved five-year labor agreements (2024–2029) with three employee groups—management (CMEA/[AFSCME](https://www.afscme.org)), general employees ([AFSCME](https://www.afscme.org) Local 3947), and firefighters (Local 2216)—bringing wages to more competitive levels. The FY 2023–2024 audit by EDN Payne was received with a clean financial opinion but flagged 21 findings including 12 material weaknesses, primarily related to reporting delays and internal controls; the council also authorized EDN Payne for the FY 2025 audit at $232,885. The Community Improvement Services department was renamed the Public Safety department with restructured supervisory positions, a zero-emission bus rollout plan for nine electric buses was approved for state submission, and $268,285 was allocated to AP Triton to help the fire department pursue regaining ambulance transport rights from LA County. The council heard presentations on the June 2 primary election voting procedures, a legislative update highlighting new Brown Act requirements (SB 707) taking effect July 1, 2026, and potential federal funding from Congresswoman Waters for water and sewer projects totaling $5.4 million. The proposed budget hearing was postponed from June 2 due to its conflict with election day, and two items were tabled—a $200,000 [Caltrans](https://dot.ca.gov) grant appropriation due to insufficient votes and a $79,554 HOME ARP nonprofit capacity-building contract pending more information.

Jun 11, 2024

city council

The council's only itemized spending approval on June 11, 2024 was a $1,076 purchase order to Staples Advantage for Parks & Recreation office supplies, passed 5-0 as part of the consent agenda alongside warrant approvals and three sets of prior meeting minutes; no split payments, repeat vendors, or threshold-adjacent amounts were present among the structured spending items. The council voted 5-0 to authorize travel to the 92nd U.S. Conference of Mayors (June 20–23, 2024), though a separate attendance poll showed only Mayor Sharif intended to go, with all four council members voting against attending (1-4 on attendance). No new spending was approved under unfinished business; the council voted 4-0 (Bowers absent) to receive and file the FY 2020-2021 audited financial statements — an informational action, not a spending decision — following a presentation by EDN Payne auditor Eden Castreno, who disclosed two material weaknesses, six significant deficiencies, a qualified opinion on cash allocation tied to an unreconciled $80 million journal entry posted in 2011 with no backup documentation, and stated the audit took one year and ten months to complete. The city manager presented the proposed FY 2024-25 budget of approximately $254 million at a public hearing adjourned 5-0 without an adoption vote; eleven residents spoke during general public comment on topics including potholes, encampments, audit irregularities, and a $69 million prior-year accounting adjustment the city controller attributed to accumulated errors.