Lassen County auditor-controller announces retirement amid years-long audit backlog and software rollout troubles

Nancy Cardenas, Lassen County Treasurer-Tax Collector and Auditor-Controller, announced her retirement effective Oct. 31, 2025, and delivered a lengthy update on long-running audit problems and a troubled financial software rollout that she said have left the county “behind” on its audits.

Cardenas read from the civil grand jury’s report and the county’s external audit findings, saying, “The office of the Lassen County Auditor Controller has experienced a series of setbacks,” and detailed consequences the audits flagged, including payroll errors, late IRS and CalPERS payments and unresolved findings from prior years. She told the board the county faces significant federal reporting work, saying the external audits have identified material weaknesses in accounting for federal grants and in closeout procedures that resulted in…