City controller to audit LAUSD construction program

City Controller Wendy Greuel has agreed to audit the Los Angeles Unified School District's construction program, officials said Friday.

Supt. Ramon C. Cortines asked Greuel to conduct the investigation after a grand jury indicted Bassam Raslan, a subcontractor hired to help run the district's building program.

The grand jury charged Raslan with nine counts, accusing him of funneling business from the district’s school building program to a company he co-owns.

Raslan's attorney said his client complied with district policy and that officials knew of Raslan's ownership in the company, TBI Associates.

The indictment, which came almost three years after a Times investigation raised questions about Raslan and his business, also accuses school district officials of doing little to prevent the conflict.

Greuel's investigation will begin soon and Cortines promised to make the findings public.

"If we find any wrongdoing or discrepancies ... we will take swift, appropriate action on the persons or companies involved," he said in a statement.

--Jason Song

Comments

[jay]

What an outfit-only takes them three years to launch an investigation. I'm going to vote more money to LAUSD because they've proven to be such good stewards of our money.

Jay

[Seen it all!]

Why am I not surprised! This type of thing goes on in LAUSD all the time. Not just with construction but all kinds of contracts for services. LA Times, start investigating ALL of LAUSD's contracted services! Maybe you could uncover enough "sweet deals" and wasted money to start saving teachers' jobs!

[TAM]

Having Wendy Greuel, to audit LAUSD is a joke. All of these people are friends. The Pint Size Mayor, Wendy, and Cortines are friends. Wendy, will say she did not find any wrong doing, and it will be done by May. That will give Cortines, time to lie to the voters about the Parcel tax to get it to pass. VOTE NO ON THE PARCEL TAX because they will continue to waste money on consultant fees. Our bond monies has been wasted long enough.

[Justin]

Does Wendy have time to audit the Los Angeles Community College District?

The LACCD Board of Trustees recently received official notice by its bond counsel, Fulbright and Jaworski, and its management consultant, Capstone, that for the last nine years, the LACCD Board has illegally spent taxpayer money on conferences, LEED certification training for its consultants (instead of hiring consultants who are already LEED certified), food, travel and conferences, public relations, writing curriculum, and all kinds of other illegal purposes.

Will there be indictments of public officials whose malfeasance at LACCD allowed this illegal spending to go on for more years than any school district in the state?

[TAM]

The Grand jury did not indict Raslan for nothing. Cortines, is getting a salary for being the Pint Size Mayor 's puppet, and Eli Broad. Cortines, only asked Wendy because the Pint Size Mayor told him to do it. It will be a cover up, and the tax payers will be screwed big time again. Who will be paying for this cover up? Will it be paid for from the city's general fund? Cortines, knew what was going on all the long, but just looked the other way.

[TAM]

Justin:

No, that will not happen, and I have said for years all the board members needs to go. The board has fired people that wanted to do the job right. The other good people left on their own because of the BS. The board has hired inept people like themselves. The board hired Steve, to be the prez. at LACC, and had to pay him to leave. He received his pay until his contract ran out, and was not the president. I hope Glendale does not fall for his lies.

[TAM]

It is just a white wash by the Pint Size Mayor.Wendy, is in the Mayor's pocket.

[Bill]

Justin,

Are you aware that James Sohn, the current Chief Facilities Executive at LAUSD, came to LAUSD from heading the LACCD's bond program? Now he's at LAUSD. I wish people on the outside could understand what a whole functioning underground network of friends and political buddies exists to funnel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of construction firms. It's a multi-billion dollar swindle and the public are none the wiser.

[Melissa]

A group of citizens has taken papers out to recall the Mayor... perhaps we should add Wendy Gruel to the list of recall if she tries to whitewash CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. Let's watch this carefully and someone should begin getting the public records of whatever Wendy is investigating.

Our local government has fallen serious victim to the corruption of the public employee unions. We are going to have to scale back the power of those unions because they are the ones who elect these patsies of patronage.

[LAUSD Facilities]

TAM,

You obviously know what's going on. I agree that most people are probably in the Mayor's pocket. The fact it took over 3 years to get this investigation going shows a lot of what's going on. Cortines also pushed to have 40 consultant companies signed on for LAUSD Facilities. This is after James Sohn plans to layoff 1,000 district employees. On top of this, wasn't James Sohn in charge of the Bond program in LACCD that had to admit improperly spending money? They were forced to create a OIG and whistleblower protection program. That is serious stuff.

I hope the FBI or someone conducts a sting operation on the mayor and board members, just like in the school district of Broward in Florida. They were arrested for taking construction bribes. Someone should look into LAUSD. Have to be careful though. Some of these people have connections in the FBI. I know this for a fact...........

[Spiffy]

Yesterday I realized the main reason I'm poor and so many others in this town are rich, including school officials and those who work for them, is because I worship a Higher Authority and the rich people worship money.

So where can I go to learn to sell my soul the way so many educators and subcontractors of educators have? There's gotta be a book out there on how to do that.

The only thing---I'll have a real hard time with the requirement to give up 100% of my ethics and values. That's gonna be tough. But apparently, from what so many of our leaders here teach us, it's the only way to get ahead.

Now I have to make a wall decoration to illustrate my new god---a cross with fake 100 dollar bills taped all over it. Is that perfect for Easter season or what?

[TAM]

LAUSD Facilities:

LACCD has people that connections with the FBI, and former employees also. The Board has looked the other way for years as to what was going on with the Bond Monies, so it is not new to them at all. The State needs to pull an audit on LAUSD, and LACCD; but it will be no time soon. If it is soon it will only be to keep the monies for some else they want to do or for someone to run for an office. The tax payers are being screwed right, and left with these inept people we have elected.

Melissa:

I will sign the recall on the Pint Size Mayor, and I never voted for him. I knew it would be bad, but nothing like this.

Bill:

You have the great payroll system that is really for businesses. LACCD had it first, and someone got a big kick back for it. It would have cost less to have MIT to create a system for payroll. Everything LAUSD, and LACCD went through with the system will be like a Sunday school's picnic when the state start using it. The claims it will not have those problems. The state is having problems with the system, they have spent the big bucks on that do not work. We just have to hang in there until the FEDS to help us like South Gate.