Having served for four years as California’s controller and chief fiscal officer, I had a front-row seat to see how billions of taxpayer dollars move — or fail to move — through our state’s agencies and programs. I’ve seen firsthand how good intentions and well-designed policies can get lost in a maze of bureaucracy. Simply put, Californians have too little visibility into whether the money is actually working for the people it was meant to help.
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Thankfully, Proposition 41 will help solve this problem by requiring the independent state auditor to conduct public audits of the programs to be funded by new taxes.
The harsh reality is that Californians don’t get the bang for the buck we deserve for paying the nation’s highest state income and sales tax rates. Currently, billions of dollars go into programs like homelessness, education and transportation, with too little to show for it. Worse, voters are continually asked to approve new taxes that will fund programs without accountability standards that they deserve.
California is the greatest state in the nation, but we’re not without our flaws. Families are struggling with our high cost of living. Well-funded social welfare programs aren’t meeting our state’s needs, but voters don’t have the transparency they deserve on which state programs are working and which ones aren’t.
We can fix these problems, and Prop. 41 is an important first step in the right direction.
Before voters cast their ballot on new taxes, Prop. 41 will require California’s independent state auditor to provide a nonpartisan look at any programs that would receive new tax revenue. This helps ensure there’s a clear understanding of how the program is supposed to reach the people it’s intended to serve, how money is currently being spent in existing programs, if there are ways to improve outcomes and what additional funding would accomplish.
And, if a new program is established, Prop. 41 requires ongoing review by the state auditor and independent Legislative Analyst’s Office that looks at whether or not the program is achieving its intended goals, if there’s any fraud or waste, how a program could improve effectiveness and cut costs, and if adequate accountability is in place.
Bottom line, Prop. 41 gives voters the transparency they need to get the accountability they’re entitled to — without raising taxes, but rather by protecting taxpayers’ interests.
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This is not a partisan problem, and it doesn’t have a partisan solution. It’s a basic question of stewardship: When the public gives the government money to solve a problem, the government owes the public a clear, honest account of what happened to it.
As a former state controller and a lifelong Democrat, I can tell you: This kind of independent audit function is exactly the tool that’s been missing. California’s elected officials aren’t lacking good intentions. They’re lacking the transparency and data to know which programs are working and how to fix the ones that aren’t.
As Californians, we care about programs that help children succeed in school, keep families healthy, pave our roads, and lift up our most vulnerable neighbors.
But caring isn’t enough. We also need to make sure these programs actually deliver on their promises. When accountability fails, those hit hardest are middle-class families, low-income kids, the unhoused and the millions of California who rely on Medi-Cal.
That’s why we need to empower the independent state auditor to review these programs. With real transparency and independent oversight, our tax dollars can do what voters intended all along: deliver real results, not just empty assurances.
Steve Westly is the founder and managing partner of The Westly Group, and he is California’s former controller and chief fiscal officer.
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