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Board issues vote of no confidence in elected Auditor‑Controller Karina Alvarez and moves to restructure office duties
Summary
The Board adopted a resolution expressing a vote of no confidence in Auditor‑Controller Karina B. Alvarez and directed restructuring steps intended to strengthen operations in the Auditor‑Controller's Office.
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on April 22 adopted a resolution expressing a vote of no confidence in Auditor‑Controller Karina B. Alvarez and directed changes designed to strengthen day‑to‑day operations in the Auditor‑Controller's Office.
County counsel introduced the item citing government duties that the board must oversee. The resolution alleges recurring deficiencies, including late or overdue audits for multiple fiscal years, problems in payment processing and internal controls that led to misapplied telecommunications payments, and other concerns staff said placed the county at financial and credit risk.
Karina Alvarez, the elected Auditor‑Controller, addressed the board at length, said she had inherited a troubled office and described progress on multiple delayed audits since her appointment in May 2022. Alvarez disputed some of the characterization of current conditions, pointed to turnover and training needs, and asked the board to defer action until supervisors could visit her office and meet her staff; she requested the item be tabled until the board's next meeting. She also asked the board to consider that some delays preceded her tenure and described efforts to implement internal control improvements and staff training.
Despite those remarks, the board voted to adopt the resolution. The action included removing the job description for the elected office from Human Resources records — staff said elected officers’ duties derive from state law and not HR job descriptions — and directed that the assistant auditor‑controller position be empowered to serve under general direction as a chief operations officer responsible for employee supervision and management within the office to ensure continuity of operations.
Chair John Hawk said the board found it necessary to protect continuity and taxpayer resources; supervisors said the decision was difficult but required to reduce risk to county operations. The motion carried; the board provided no public roll-call tally in the transcript.
