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Tri-Valley State Senator Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) recently shared his support for BART’s first inspector general mission to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the regional public transit agency.
Released late last month, Inspector General Harriet Richardson’s report states that BART management is impeding her ability to conduct a “risk assessment” of their offices, which would be used to aid her work.
Richardson’s districtwide evaluation aims to “identify areas to audit that will provide the most opportunity for improvement and make the best use of our limited resources. However, BART management halted our progress and we are currently working to resolve the issue.”
In a statement, Glazer, who wrote the legislation which created Richardson’s office in 2018, urged BART management to work with Richardson.
“The BART Board of Directors should view the inspector general as someone who will assist them in remaining accountable to the public and their riders,” Glazer said. “There shouldn’t be any management roadblocks. They should embrace the inspector general’s important work.”
Richardson said she was accused by management of asking questions outside her purview, even though her office’s authority is not limited to certain parts of the agency.
BART officials responded in a statement that the agency “welcomes independent oversight and is fully committed to ensuring the independent role of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) including access to staff and documents.”
“BART management supports the OIG’s risk assessment initiative and the general manager has made clear to all staff that the assessment is proceeding and to cooperate with all OIG audits and investigations,” officials said. “The OIG’s audit plan is a high priority for BART as we look to identify any opportunities for efficiencies and to respond to claims of waste, fraud and abuse.”
Richardson confirmed at the Oct. 29 Ad Hoc Audit Committee meeting that “after discussions with some board members and BART management, the general manager advised me on Oct. 16 that we can proceed with the risk assessment. I expect to be able to report our progress on that in our next quarterly report.”
A new whistleblower hotline is also being launched and will be made available to all BART employees and the general public.
“This hotline can be an invaluable tool for BART and its employees as we move toward a more efficient and accountable transit system that is so vital to the Bay Area’s economic and social well-being,” Glazer said.
Fraud, waste and abuse concerns may be reported confidentially and anonymously online at www.bart.gov/OIGhotline or by phone at 510-464-6100. A third-party provider routes all reports to ensure anonymity for callers who prefer to remain anonymous.
