The Controller is California’s independent fiscal watchdog. That means that I won’t need the legislature or governor’s permission to audit state and local agencies and programs. As Controller, I will use my audit authority aggressively and frequently, particularly in examining state programs that may be ripe for fraud and abuse. Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is just one example. The number of Californians enrolled in the program has increased by about 50 percent since 2014, but the Controller’s Office has only periodically reviewed its operations. In fact, the last report that the Controller issued on how California’s Department of Health Care Services administers the program was in January 2018, and even that audit didn’t even uncover the $4 billion in improper spending that a separate report—written by State Auditor Elaine Howle—disclosed later that year. And that’s just one example. There are many others, from high-speed rail to California’s fraud-ridden unemployment insurance program, that taxpayers deserve to know more about.