An outside investigation conducted by Covington & Burling found that the majority of contracts signed by Los Angeles County during former Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ tenure were not tainted by corruption or fraud. While this may come as good news, the investigation also highlighted significant flaws in the county’s contracting process.
The review revealed that the county rarely suspends problem contractors, employees use personal phones for county business, and contracts are sometimes awarded without a competitive bidding process. This investigation was initiated in response to Ridley-Thomas’ indictment and subsequent conviction on corruption charges.
After scrutinizing 200 contracts totaling $1.7 billion, the firms Covington & Burling and FTI Consulting were unable to give the county a “clean bill of health” due to poor vetting of vendors who receive public funds. Supervisor Hilda Solis described the findings as “sobering” and emphasized the importance of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
Recommendations from the firms included creating a new ethics and compliance position and strengthening the county’s revolving door policy to prevent conflicts of interest. These recommendations align with governance reform efforts such as Measure G, which aims to address corruption and bolster ethics oversight within the county government.
Despite the county’s decision not to release the full report, the findings of the investigation were condensed into a public presentation outlining the need for improvements in county contracting practices. The Board of Supervisors has expressed intent to implement an ethics commission regardless of the outcome of the election.
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