Government,
Administrative/Regulatory
Apr. 24, 2024
City Controller’s subpoena powers questioned in homeless dispute
“The controller seeks to expand the scope of his authority under the charter beyond all reasonable bounds in a politically motivated attempt to avoid an ongoing disagreement between the controller’s office and other elected officials and to harass a private entity merely by virtue of the entity’s independent subcontractor relationship with another contractor of the City of Los Angeles who maintains a contract with the Mayor of Los Angeles,” Eduardo E. Santacana wrote in Urban Alchemy’s complaint.
A dispute between a non-profit homeless services provider and the Los Angeles City Controller’s office – linked to a video on social media – has led to a legal battle over the Controller’s power to subpoena non-financial information.
The provider, Urban Alchemy says City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s subpoena for non-financial information is beyond the scope of his powers, and that his investigation of the organization is politically motivate...