State Auditor.

(1) Existing law sets out the authority and duties of the State Auditor in conducting audits and surveys of specified entities, and of contracting for goods and services on behalf of the Bureau of State Audits. Existing law provides for reimbursement of the State Auditor by annual appropriation in the Budget Act, for specified costs incurred by the State Auditor in the performance of certain duties. Existing law authorizes and provides access to the State Auditor and his or her authorized representatives to examine and reproduce various records of any agency of the state. Existing law provides that any law providing for the confidentiality of any records or property will not prevent the State Auditor from having access to those records or property, unless the law specifically refers to and precludes the State Auditor from accessing those records or property. This bill would revise the provisions governing the scope and conduct of audits and surveys by the State Auditor and costs for which the State Audit Fund may be reimbursed. The bill would define the phrase "confidentiality of records or property" to mean, for the purposes of these provisions, that the record or property may lawfully be kept confidential as a result of a statutory or common law privilege or any other provision of law. This bill would also provide that providing confidential information to the State Auditor, including information subject to a privilege, does not constitute a waiver of that privilege. This bill would state that these changes are declaratory of existing law. (2) The California Whistleblower Protection Act requires the State Auditor to administer the act and to investigate and report on improper governmental activities, as defined. The act requires the State Auditor to establish a means of submitting allegations of improper governmental activity, and prohibits the State Auditor from disclosing the identity of a person who provides information that results in an investigation unless the person provides written permission to make that disclosure. This bill would instead prohibit the State Auditor from disclosing the identity of the person who provides information that results in an investigation without obtaining the person's express permission. This bill would revise the definition of improper governmental activities to include more activities, including actions that are a violation of an Executive order, a California Rule of Court, or any policy or procedure mandated by the State Administrative Manual or State Contracting Manual. (3) The act authorizes the State Auditor to request the assistance of any state department, agency, or employee in conducting any investigation required by the act. This bill would expand that authorization to also authorize the State Auditor to request assistance evaluating an allegation or conducting any investigation of an improper governmental activity as authorized by the act. (4) The act requires the State Auditor, if he or she determines that an employee or agency has engaged in improper governmental activity, to issue an investigative report regarding that employee's specific activities, for purposes of pursuing adverse action against that employee. The act also requires the State Auditor to report the nature and details of the activity to the head of the agency or the appropriate appointing power, and authorizes the report to include recommended actions to prevent the reoccurrence of the activity. This bill would revise those provisions to also authorize the State Auditor to report the findings of an investigation, and certain evidence to support that finding, to additional entities or individuals, including the head of any other agency that has direct oversight over the agency involved, a criminal law enforcement agency, an administrative law enforcement agency, or a licensing agency that has authority to investigate the matter. This bill would also provide that, as an alternative to conducting its own investigation, the State Auditor is authorized to, if the State Auditor makes a certain finding on an allegation of improper governmental activities, refer an allegation to the involved state agency, or to another state agency having direct oversight of the involved state agency, to conduct an investigation of the allegation under the State Auditor's supervision. This bill would similarly authorize the State Auditor to refer an allegation to a criminal or administrative law enforcement agency. (5) Existing law requires the State Auditor to prepare for state employees a written explanation of the California Whistleblower Protection Act that includes prescribed information. Existing law requires the State Auditor to provide a notice to state agencies, as defined, that includes the information contained in the written explanation. Existing law prohibits state agencies from modifying the text of the notice. This bill would, for purposes of these provisions, conform the definition of state agency to the definition used in the California Whistleblower Protection Act, to include the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, superior courts, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. The bill would require any agency that posts or advertises the opportunity to submit whistleblower complaints through a program administered by the agency, to also disclose the opportunity to submit complaints to the State Auditor under the California Whistleblower Protection Act. (6) This bill would also delete various obsolete provisions of law.