The office of Berkeley City Auditor Jenny Wong released the first-ever Whistleblower Program Annual Report for the 2025 calendar year June 10, summarizing how the program has processed and closed 41 reports.
The Whistleblower Program — which allows city employees to confidentially report potential fraud, waste and abuse — received reports primarily of time abuse, health and safety violations and waste.
Deputy city manager David White said the city uses policy guidance and equal employment opportunity processes, among other measures, to appropriately address workplace issues as early as possible.
“The numbers show that employees are using the Whistleblower Program and that the City now has an additional confidential channel for raising concerns about fraud, waste, abuse, and related issues,” White said in an email. “That is a positive development for transparency and accountability.”
Wong announced the Whistleblower Program in 2023, and the City Council formally authorized the city auditor to receive and investigate whistleblower reports in June 2024.
According to the report, city employees first report potential issues through either a third-party hotline provider or direct communication with the City Auditor’s office. Each case is then evaluated for whether it falls under the jurisdiction of the Whistleblower Program. Cases that do not meet the criteria are closed or referred to other city departments.
If there is sufficient information, the City Auditor’s Office can conduct an investigation into the report, evaluating whether misconduct occurred based on records and interviews with witnesses. Of the 41 cases closed in 2025, only four fell under the program’s jurisdiction and led to an investigation.
“For reports that are referred, a case may be closed relatively quickly if the appropriate department, agency, or oversight body is clear,” said Whistleblower Program manager Erin Mullin in an email. “For reports that are investigated by the Auditor’s Office, the timeline varies depending on the number of allegations, records involved, need for interviews, and complexity of the issues.”
If the findings confirm evidence of wrongdoing, the city auditor may release a public report summarizing the findings. The Whistleblower Program released its first public investigation report this March about a $286,000 unapproved ambulance purchase.
The City Auditor’s Office expects the number of reports to “evolve” as city employees develop a better understanding of the program. In her email, Mullin was unsure whether numbers would increase or decrease but anticipated using the 2025 numbers as a “baseline” to evaluate trends in future years.
Wong’s 2023 proposal for the hotline included allowing residents and city contractors to submit whistleblower reports. However, the annual report indicates that the city’s budget deficit has put an expansion for residents on hold.
Mullin anticipates that the type of reports potentially received from residents would relate to interactions with city employees, contractors or vendors, though this would depend on the scope and guidance given to the public at that time.
“The Whistleblower Program reporting process is a valuable contribution to improving accountability in our city,” said Mayor Adena Ishii in an email. “I appreciate the City Auditor and her office’s diligence in investigating reports, determining whether there is enough information, and closing cases.”