| Laura N. Chick | |
|---|---|
| 17th City Controller of Los Angeles | |
| In office July 1, 2001 – July 1, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Rick Tuttle |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Greuel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1944 (age 67–68) |
| Political party | Democratic |
Laura N. Chick (born 1944) is an American politician. She is a longtime California political figure who focused her public service career on fighting for greater transparency and accountability in government. Most recently she served as California's Inspector General overseeing the state's spending of $85 billion of Federal Recovery Act funding. Chick was appointed to the newly created position by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in April 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
On December 17, 2010 incoming Governor Jerry Brown gave Chick notice, two weeks before taking office, that he was closing down her operations. The news elicited immediate headlines across the state. Typical of the reaction to Chick's firing was an LA Times editorial which stated, "Perhaps he (Jerry Brown) can't afford Chick's office, but he — and California — likewise cannot afford to lose the insistent, questioning and fresh approach that she brought."
Prior to her appointment as Inspector General she was the 17th Los Angeles City Controller.[1] Before her election as City Controller, she served as a councilwoman from the city's Third District (Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Reseda, West Hills, Winnetka and Canoga Park), from 1993-2001. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in History from UCLA and a Master’s in Social Work from University of Southern California.[2]
Her experience includes managing a family-owned retail business. Laura first entered elected office in 1993 when she defeated a 16 year incumbent for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council. Seven months after taking office her district was devastated by the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Chick went into action working around the clock, an ever present figure in the toppled neighborhoods. Laura used the crisis as an opportunity to rebuild in a smarter and better way, creating what is now a thriving redevelopment zone with shops, cafes and a legitimate theater converted from an X-rated movie house.
In 2001 Chick was overwhelmingly elected City Controller, becoming the first woman to hold citywide office in Los Angeles. As Controller, she was the Chief Auditor and Chief Accountant of the City working to ensure its fiscal health. In her nearly eight years in this office, Chick released over 170 audits and reports exposing a wide range of problems throughout city government. As the taxpayers' watchdog she rooted out waste and fraud and championed innovation and new ideas to challenge the status quo.
In 2006, Los Angeles Magazine named Laura Chick one of the most influential people in the City. The Los Angeles Daily News editorialized, “…as City Controller, she’s often been downtown’s lone champion of good government." A Los Angeles Business Journal feature said, “Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick has emerged as a central voice in the ongoing debate over how the City handles its contracts.” In a May, 2004 feature article, Los Angeles Magazine states, “Where others couch and evade, she is Ms. Blunt.”
One of her last audits to be released as City Controller exposed a backlog of thousands of untested DNA rape kits at the Los Angeles Police Department. Chick's report brought a national spotlight to an intolerable situation. This resulted in City officials finally making the problem a priority. Her work won her the prestigious ProPublica Prize for Investigative Governance.
Shortly after President Obama signed the Federal Recovery Act, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned to Chick. He tapped her to be the first-in-the-nation Inspector General to oversee the economic stimulus dollars that California was receiving.
"Laura's impressive track record as a watchdog and public servant makes her uniquely qualified to ensure this funding is used as it was intended-to create jobs and help our state through this difficult economic time," said Governor Schwarzenegger.
The Sacramento Bee heralded Chick's arrival in the Capitol with the headline, "Misuse stimulus cash - you'll answer to her".
Chick energetically took up the state's challenge of overseeing the massive expenditure of American Recovery funds though her Office was given very little resources. With a handful of auditors borrowed from other state departments she scrutinized local agencies across the state. Chick released nearly 30 reports uncovering mis-spent stimulus funds totaling millions. Her relentless style elicited critics inside State Government as it had with insiders in Los Angeles City Hall.
Chick serves on the State Board of Directors as Member at Large for California Women Lead, a women's nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. [3]
Before entering elective office at the age of 49, Chick had already been a stay-at-home mom, manager of a family owned retail business and social worker. Laura Chick is the mother of two grown daughters — Katherine, a teacher with the LAUSD, and Care, a psychologist in San Francisco. She recently sold her home in Los Angeles and moved to Berkeley, California.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rick Tuttle |
City Controller of Los Angeles, California July 1, 2001 – July 1, 2009 |
Succeeded by Wendy Greuel |