Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enforcement Metrics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Enforcement chief reports 27% rise in complaints and broad enforcement activity
Summary
Enforcement Chief Carrie O'Connor told the committee the CBA received just over 5,800 complaints for fiscal 2023–24 (a 27% increase), closed over 6,300 cases (96% within one year), referred 46 matters to the Attorney General and took 36 final disciplinary actions; the report also covered citations, unlicensed-activity complaints and probation monitoring.
Carrie O'Connor, Enforcement Chief for the California Board of Accountancy, presented the board’s enforcement activity report for fiscal year 2023–24 and highlighted increases in complaints and a range of enforcement outcomes.
O'Connor said the CBA received just over 5,800 complaints during the fiscal year, a 27% increase from the prior year. "We have experienced a 27% increase in complaints," she told the committee. Staff closed more than 6,300 investigations during the year, with 96% closed within one year and an average of 106 days to close an investigation. Enforcement maintained an inventory of roughly 1,600 pending investigations; two cases had been pending over 24 months but were later closed.
On referrals to the Attorney General, O'Connor reported the CBA referred 46 matters to the AG’s office and filed 27 pleadings; at the time of the report, 40 matters were pending at the AG’s office. She said the board took action on 36 final disciplinary orders during the fiscal year.
Regarding citations and fines, the chief said the CBA issued nearly 1,100 citations, about 85% of which resulted from failures to comply with continuing-education requirements; the board withdrew or modified 65 state citations after appeals when licensees provided mitigating evidence or resolved the underlying issue. On unlicensed activity, O'Connor said the CBA received just over 2,400 complaints and closed more than 3,200 investigations for that topic, with most closures resulting from compliance. For probation monitoring she reported 63 licensees on probation and 44 identified probation violations, most for failure to submit required quarterly written reports.
A committee member asked whether the increase in Attorney General referrals indicated anything unusual; O'Connor said she did not see an unusual trend and suggested some increases may reflect carryover from prior periods rather than a new spike.
The committee had no public commenters on the report. The meeting then moved to the closed-session portion of the agenda.
