Audit questions spending at Los Angeles Community College district

From The Los Angeles Times: An audit of campus construction at the Los Angeles Community College District has found $140 million in questionable spending, including at least $28 million sunk into projects that were later abandoned because of poor planning. In the audit, California state Controller John Chiang challenged the district's use of voter-approved construction money to pay for public relations, public art and other purposes he deemed inappropriate. In addition, the college system's elected trustees set up a "passive, perfunctory and ineffective" citizen oversight system for the $5.7 billion program to rebuild its nine campuses, the audit found.

Earlier...

MARCH 2011...from The Los Angeles Times: The Los Angeles Community College District board has fired the head of its $5.7 billion construction program after newspaper articles documented extensive waste in the rebuilding of the district's campuses. Larry Eisenberg's employment contract was terminated, effective at the end of this week. Eisenberg's deputy, Thomas Hall, will replace him on an interim basis as executive director of facilities planning and development for the nine-college district.

FEBRUARY 2011...from The Los Angeles Times: Poor planning, frivolous spending and shoddy work have plagued the Los Angeles Community College District’s bond-financed construction program. Tens of millions of dollars have gone to waste because of poor planning, frivolous spending and shoddy workmanship. Although bond money has paid for valuable improvements, costly blunders by college officials, contractors and the district's board of trustees have denied the system's 142,000 students the full potential of one of facility improvements.