After eight years of serving as Berkeley city auditor, Jenny Wong is ready to serve another four. Tasked with overseeing city expenditures, evaluating city department operations and assessing the efficacy of city-funded programs, the Berkeley city auditor plays a crucial role in ensuring government accountability. Wong’s passion, experience and commitment to transparency make her the perfect candidate for the job.
Wong understands the importance of civilian oversight in local government. In her current term, Wong has established a whistleblower program, an independent channel through which the public and city can file complaints regarding the misuse of city resources. The program also acts as a way for the public to communicate what they want audited. In an interview with the Editorial Board, Wong stressed the vitality of providing people with a safe and confidential space to voice concerns. While recent budget cuts have limited her office’s capacity to undertake new audit programs, Wong’s passion for the whistleblower program gives us confidence in her abilities to expand its outreach and accessibility.
As auditor, Wong views herself as someone who must keep herself accountable to the people, and she isn’t afraid to investigate city departments and keep their operations transparent to the public. When the Berkeley Police Department didn’t give her the data for her audit on 911 dispatch calls, she reported it to the City Council and successfully obtained the information.
Wong has worked for and audited on the federal level for 18 years, but her heart lies in Berkeley. A first-generation UC Berkeley alumna and Berkeley city auditor for the past eight years, Wong has learned the ins and outs of the city and is equipped with the aptitude to keep Berkeley operational. She remains committed to keep auditing what she calls “the hard things,” referring to an upcoming rent board audit and business license tax audit.
In our conversation with Wong, she approached questions with enthusiasm, eager to discuss her work and walk us through the intricacies of municipal oversight. The Editorial Board has no doubt that Wong will continue to keep the Berkeley City Council accountable in her third term.
Vote “yes” on Jenny Wong for city auditor.
Editorials, including endorsements, represent solely the majority opinion of the student editorial board of The Daily Californian and not those of the University of California or any nonstudent party.