LAURA CHICK
LOS ANGELES CITY CONTROLLER

In the April 10, 2001 primary election, Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly elected Laura Chick to be City Controller. With this victory, Chick becomes the first woman in our city's history elected to citywide office. A Los Angeles resident since 1952, Chick holds an undergraduate degree from UCLA and a master's degree from USC.

As City Controller, Laura Chick will be your taxpayer and consumer advocate in Los Angeles city government. The City Controller, an independently elected citywide official, is the taxpayers' watchdog and the City's chief auditor and accountant. The Controller's job is to investigate and publicly report problems with city departments, increase governmental efficiency and save taxpayer money by improving operations, conduct financial and performance audits of all city departments, offices and programs, monitor and report on all matters relating to the City's fiscal health, keep the City's official financial records, and supervise all expenditures of city funds, including payroll.

Prior to her election as City Controller, Laura Chick served from 1993-2001 as City Councilmember for the Third Council District, representing the communities of Canoga Park, Encino, Reseda, Tarzana, West Hills, West Van Nuys, Winnetka and Woodland Hills. During her eight years on the Council, Chick brought common-sense solutions to complex local problems and fought to stop wasteful government spending.

Thanks to Laura Chick, significant City Council actions must now be accompanied by fiscal impact statements. Chick also spearheaded legalization of quiet, non-disruptive home-based businesses, and paved the way for reforming the city's business tax and workers' compensation systems. Dedicated to neighborhood empowerment and open, accessible local government, Chick's Governmental Efficiency drafted the final plan for creating Neighborhood Councils. Finally, she wrote the city's anti-truancy ordinance, which increased school attendance and reduced crime committed by minors throughout Los Angeles.

In her new position as City Controller, Laura Chick is dedicated to stretching taxpayer dollars, improving city services, removing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to excellence, and making Los Angeles government work more efficiently and cost-effectively for everyone.