AUDIT: CDD AGENCY NEEDS TOTAL OVERHAUL CHICK WANTS ACTION NOW TO GET MOST AID FOR FAMILIES.

Byline: RICK ORLOV Staff Writer

In her third audit of the city agency that oversees millions of dollars in state and federal grants, Controller Laura Chick called Tuesday for a complete overhaul in Community Development Department operations.

``We have failed to properly and accurately evaluate program performance and we have been allowing vital programs to run on automatic pilot,'' Chick wrote in her audit, which examined the agency's Family Development Network program. ``We are not asking the all important questions: Are we maximizing these precious dollars? Are we actually helping the most in need?''

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he had not yet read all of the most recent audit, but had taken steps based on the findings of the earlier audits.

``The controller has pointed out a problem we have with this agency, and that's why I took steps to change its management by appointing Richard Benbow to make it more responsible and accountable,'' Villaraigosa said.

``Mr. Benbow has already begun the difficult work of redesigning the Community Development Department and its service delivery network.''

Villaraigosa said he wants Benbow to ``embrace'' Chick's recommendations and report back on changes. Chick said she appreciates what the mayor is doing, but feels that more is needed.

``I admit that I'm an impatient person and I want to see these changes now,'' she said. ``I just don't think we should tinker with the edges when we need to reform the whole system.

``One of the biggest problems we've found is there is no real coordination of programs. It's not just what the city is doing, but there is no coordination with the county or any other governmental agency.''

Chick said her audit of the Family Development Network showed wide satisfaction among recipients but a lack of an effective citywide system to make sure it achieves its goal of making families self-sufficient.

``This is not just about one particular program, this is about the CDD as a whole,'' Chick said. ``While the hardworking people of the CDD and its agencies are well-intentioned, the department needs a top-to-bottom reinvention. We must find a new and better way.''

Benbow, who was named to the post earlier this year, said he has already begun to implement many of Chick's recommendations.

``We intensified our review of standards for our core services, upgraded data collection and have started a dialogue with peer agencies to compare the implementation of best practices,'' Benbow said.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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