0
0
The Inauguration Ceremony for the Honorable Malia M. Cohen, California’s 33rd State Controller, was held at Los Angeles City Hall with the Oath of Office administered by Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.
Mayor Bass was supportive of Cohen’s rise to State Controller during her time as a congressional member by lending not only her support, but influence from her powerful political circle and connected resources to ensure a successful campaign bid.
Speaking of bids, U.S. Representative for California’s 12th Congressional District, Barbara Lee was also in attendance and gave remarks after recently launching her own bid to run for the U.S. Senate seat as a successor to Senator Dianne Feinstein who will not seek reelection for a sixth term as the State’s senior legislator and the longest-serving woman senator ever.
As California’s chief fiscal officer, Controller Cohen has broad superintending authority over the accounting and disbursement of state and local government finances. Furthermore, according to Bloomberg, California is poised to become the world’s 4th largest economy.
The Honorable Malia Cohen delivers remarks after being sworn in as California’s 33rd State Controller. As California’s chief fiscal officer, she has broad superintending authority over the accounting and disbursement of state and local government finances. California is poised to become the world’s 4th largest economy.As such, the state controller:
- Acts as the state’s accountant. This entails maintaining the statewide accounting system, issuing reports on the financial condition of the state, approving claims against the state, administering payroll for state employees, ordering deposits into the state treasury, and drawing checks and approving electronic fund transfers.
- Administers California’s unclaimed property laws. As such, the state controller audits holders of unclaimed property, safeguards unclaimed property reported to his or her office, and works to return unclaimed property back to its rightful owners.
- Audits public funds spent by myriad state agencies. The state controller is the internal auditor of California state government, examining the internal controls of state agencies, the state lottery, and oil and gas lease royalties to assure operational effectiveness and efficiency, reliable financial reporting, and legal compliance. A separate state auditor serves as the external auditor for the whole of state government and reports exclusively to the state legislature on state agency financial management and performance.
- Supervises local government finances. As part of this function, the state controller has broad discretion to audit state funds spent by local governments and prescribes uniform accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting systems applicable to nearly 5,000 counties, cities, towns, school districts, local housing authorities, rural development authorities, and all other political subdivisions of the state. Likewise, the state controller reviews the annual financial and single audits performed by external auditors on behalf of California’s local governments for conformity with the law and government auditing standards. Separately, the state controller collects, apportions, and distributes property taxes and other state aids among the many counties, cities, towns, and school districts.
Aside from the office’s functional responsibilities, the state controller serves on over 70 boards and commissions, including the California State Lands Commission, California State Teachers’ Retirement System, California Public Employees’ Retirement System, California Board of Equalization, California Franchise Tax Board, California Pollution Control Financing Authority, the California Debt Limit Allocation Commission, California Alternative Energy Source Financing Authority, the California Education Facilities Authority, and the California Victim Compensation Board, among others.
Malia M. Cohen was elected in November 2022, following her service on the California State Board of Equalization (BOE), the nation’s only elected tax commission responsible for administering California’s $100 billion property tax system. She was elected to the BOE in November 2018 and was Chair in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, she continues to serve the Board as its fifth voting member.
Controller Cohen also independently audits government agencies that spend state funds, safeguards many types of property until claimed by the rightful owners, and administers the payroll system for state government employees and California State University employees. She serves on 70 boards and commissions with authority ranging from affordable housing to crime victim compensation to land management. Controller Cohen chairs the Franchise Tax Board and serves on the boards of the nation’s two largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) Boards, which have a combined portfolio of $750 billion. The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California.
As the BOE Board Member for District 2, she represented 10 million constituents living in all or parts of 23 counties extending from Del Norte County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. As Chair of the BOE, she led the effort to modernize California’s property tax system, provide guidance to the 58 county assessors on remote assessment appeals board hearings, and utilize property tax abatements to stimulate affordable housing. Controller Cohen also ensured that the views of all who came before the Board were considered carefully, with respect, civility, and courtesy.
Prior to being elected to the BOE, Controller Cohen served as President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Supervisor, she served as Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Audit and Oversight Committee. During this time, she also served as President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), which at the time was a $23 billion pension fund.
Controller Cohen has championed policies and programs that protect public health, foster economic development, promote new affordable housing, and create good jobs through protecting and expanding San Francisco’s manufacturing base. She has dedicated her career to public service, focusing on making public dollars work for all Californians.
Controller Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco and attended public schools. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She and her husband, Warren A. Pulley who is a workers’ compensation attorney reside, in San Francisco along with their daughter.
