Auditor — City of Berkeley

As City Auditor, I will work to ensure services are being delivered equitably and efficiently, and make audit findings and results more accessible to Berkeley residents. I have been an auditor for the independent federal Government Accountability Office for the last 18 years and I will bring that experience, my independent perspective, and progressive values to the auditor’s office. I will use technology and consistent community outreach to share audit results, encourage feedback from Berkeley residents, and maintain the office’s independence. I have worked on a variety of audits, from exposing the extent to which corporations didn’t pay taxes to clarifying confusing IRS guidance for retirees, small businesses and taxpayers. Audits I worked on resulted in over $3 billion dollars in savings. As Executive Director of 5 audit forums, I managed trainings for thousands of auditors across the United States. I am an immigrant, first generation college graduate, parent of twins at Berkeley High, and 24 year Berkeley resident. I have been involved in the following community activities: Instructor, Association of Local Government Auditors; Founder, Diversity Auditing Recruiting Day, Public Policy and International Affairs Program; Former Education Chair, San Francisco Association of Government Auditors; Former Chair, Youth Committee, Kehilla Community Synagogue; Room parent for 6 years at Rosa Parks Elementary; Volunteer Team Manager for 5 years at Noll-Soll Little League. Learn more and share your views with me via a community survey at www.JennyForAuditor.com  

If city officials aren't terrified of the auditor, the auditor is simply not doing the job. With twenty years in business management, I know how to balance budgets, hire and fire people, and I am certainly not afraid to upset people in order to achieve results. The auditor signs every city check and contract. My promise is simple: unless I am 100% satisfied that taxpayers are getting the absolute maximum benefit for every dollar spent, or unless required to sign by law, that check or contract will not get signed. It's time to end the despicable waste and abuse, and demand concrete results for every penny spent.

Priorities: build a lot more housing, provide vouchers for cheaper housing outside the city for the homeless, redirect funds from excess employee liabilities to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, enforce strict performance metrics and online reviews for every city employee, and aggressively pursue holistic sustainability - parks, bikes, scooters, high-density housing and carbon reduction.

I am the only 100% independent candidate for auditor - I do not accept endorsements, nor outside funding. The city unions will have zero influence over me, and neither will the developers, nor the political machinery that is driving this city off the proverbial cliff. Only results matter.

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." (Winston Churchill)

I am a first generation immigrant who started my first tech business while still in high school, doing web design, and eventually moving into web hosting. I went on to study philosophy and bioethics in college, eventually dropping out after 9/11 to do intensive human rights work internationally in a war zone.

After returning to the United States, I rode my bicycle across America and went on to start a bike touring business that taught people about sustainable living by visiting organic farms and intentional communities.

In 2009, I successfully sold my first tech business (an internet web hosting firm) to a larger conglomerate in order to focus on my sustainability education business full-time. In 2012, I went on to launch an open source online sustainable living course which enrolled nearly half a million people from 190+ countries.

My skillset is a both unique and incredibly diverse Swiss Army knife. I've led teams in incredibly challenging environments, and I've done large-scale data analytics, including the management of a seven-figure marketing budget. I've hired and fired people, negotiated contracts, audited staff performance, and have consistently driven bottom-line results in my companies.

While my opponents will nitpick and attack my professional record, absolutely no one can deny that I achieve results at absolutely any cost whatsoever. Having worked in a war zone under literal gunfire, I am not easily intimidated and know how to keep going when the going gets really intensely rough. My professional track record is also backed by over two *thousand* testimonials from people whose lives have been positively changed by my work.

I run five miles every single day, spend as much time as I can outdoors hiking with people I love, have a very significant CrossFit addiction, and live an intentionally minimalist life in a tinyhouse in North Berkeley with my two cats. I fiercely believe in the power of nature connection (eco-psychology), fitness, plant-based nutrition, and coherent healthy living routines.