In a unanimous vote, the County Board of Supervisors today called for the County Auditor-Controller to audit the Coliseum Commission and, if necessary, to serve as the interim chief financial officer of the commission.
The vote, on a motion sponsored by Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Don Knabe, came after numerous allegations of financial mismanagement at the facility.
“The future of the Coliseum is now at stake,” Mr. Ridley-Thomas said. “The County, as one of the three partners managing the facility, is bound by fiduciary duty to protect the interests of its residents. The auditor-controller, therefore, is both appropriate and well-equipped to help the Coliseum Commission get on the right track.
“We need to mobilize any and all resources to maintain the long-term financial stability of the Coliseum,” said Mr. Knabe, who also serves as the Vice President of the Coliseum Commission. “A thorough and complete audit will ensure that we get the Coliseum back on track and honor its history and the important role it will continue to play in the Los Angeles region.”
Mr. Ridley-Thomas, a Coliseum Commissioner, also serves on the commission’s Audit and Finance Task Force. The city of Los Angeles Controller is preparing to audit the commission, and the County District Attorney is investigating some former commission staffers.
The joint motion would authorize the auditor-controller to play a temporary role at the Coliseum, but only if requested.
Mr. Ridley-Thomas said the scope of challenges at the Coliseum is large enough that “I believe the Coliseum Commissioners will decide the more sets of eyes looking for solutions, the better.”
Since 1945, the County has participated in the management of the Coliseum with the city and the state through the Joint Exercise of Powers Act. The Act specifies the books of the Commission shall be open to the city, county and state partners.
Ms. Richardson may be contacted at lrichardson@bos.lacounty.gov
