California State Controller Betty T. Yee
State Controller Betty T. Yee on Thursday announced the launch of an online report builder for analyzing financial records for the state’s 4,800 special districts. The web interface is similar what is already available on ByTheNumbers.sco.ca.gov to search data on cities, counties, government pension systems.
Special districts are local agencies formed for a specific service, such as hospitals, parks and recreation, irrigation, fire protection, cemeteries, or pest control.
The By the Numbers website allows users to check revenues, expenditures, liabilities, assets, and fund balances for 11 fiscal years. Yee’s office says users can, for example, do a trend analysis of revenues and expenditures for up to five districts at once or see how much money a special district received from the state or federal government.
"A special district is usually lesser known than a city or county government, yet it can be just as important to people’s daily lives. Special districts vary significantly in size and budget, providing essential services such as health care and fire protection throughout California," said Yee. "My new data search tool will enable any Californian with or without technical expertise to study how special districts are using tax dollars to fulfill their missions."
