Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez Reintroduces Request for Independent Audit of CVUSD

INDIO —For the second time in about time 15 months, Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez on Friday, Sept. 25, reintroduced his request to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) for a full, independent audit of the Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), citing the district’s ongoing structural budget deficits and the need for greater transparency and accountability.

Under JLAC rules, the audit request can be approved by the Chair and Vice Chair of the committee. The request was formally submitted today, and if the Chair and Vice Chair sign off, the audit is approved unless any member of the committee objects within five working days.

The request comes as CVUSD faces projected structural deficits of approximately $14.8 million in 2025-26, $25.6 million in 2026-27 and $29.2 million in 2027-28, according to the latest FCMAT fiscal review.

There is a high level of chaos in the CVUSD that bolsters the need for an audit,

  • Area 22 Trustee Jesus Gonxalez is currently the fucus of a petition drive that asks him to resign.
  • Veteran trustee Joey Acuña Jr. is not seeking reelection after nearly 20 years on the board over two periods of service
  • Loretta Perez is was among a group of families who filed claims against CVUSD alleging years of unsafe conditions tied to mold exposure at John Kelley Elementary School.
  • In February, Coachella Valley Unified School District  cut $25.4 million more from its budget over the next three years under a newly approved plan aimed at maintaining the district’s financial solvency.
  • Total reductions over the next three years are projected at $9.4 million in 2026-27, $8 million in 2027-28 and $8 million in 2028-29. The district’s latest 2025-26 general fund budget is $354 million.

“This is about full transparency and accountability for the students, parents, educators and staff of Coachella Valley Unified,” Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez said in a statement. “Our community deserves to know how we got here, how taxpayer dollars have been managed and what needs to change. If there is nothing to hide, then CVUSD should welcome a full-scale independent audit. Assembly District 36 deserves answers, and I’m going to continue asking the tough questions on behalf of the people I represent.”

Gonzalez is reintroducing the request after reviewing CVUSD’s publicly posted responses to the previous JLAC audit request. The district’s website provides the questions and responses from that process.

“Families and taxpayers deserve to have confidence in how their money is being spent,” Gonzalez added. “A full independent audit is the best way to provide that transparency.”

A similar proposal to audit the Coachella Valley Unified School District over its $60 million budget shortfall failed to pass in June 2025, falling short of the votes needed before the state’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee.

To read the full letter, click HERE.

 

Image Sources

  • audit: Shutterstick