PACTS STAYING WITH TRAINING CONTRACTORS MOLINA PROTESTS, NOTES AUDIT CRITICIZED SERVICE AGENCIES.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Despite a recommendation to spend $3.5 million for Los Angeles County to take over a financially troubled job-training program for immigrants, supervisors voted Tuesday to continue the program with many of the current contractors.

Board Chairwoman Gloria Molina, who cast the sole vote against the motion, criticized her colleagues for voting to continue contracting with Refugee Immigrant Training and Employment program providers, accusing the supervisors of accommodating ``favored agencies'' in their districts.

``I've read our audit reports of these people not even providing (job training) services and cheating people out of their money,'' Molina said. ``It's the biggest rip-off this county has ever seen.''

County auditors have uncovered about $3 million in waste and fraud and filed criminal charges against two contractors in the San Fernando Valley that provide job-training services to refugees and immigrants who don't speak English or Spanish.

Auditors released a report of the $75 million paid to the 73 contractors in 2003-04, and found that nearly half did not have documentation to support $1.2 million in expenditures. In addition, six contractors billed $128,840 in purchases or leases of fixed assets without county approval.

Bruce Yokomizo, who heads the Department of Public Social Services, recommended the board let his agency take over the program, which serves about 4,600 refugees, many of whom fled brutal regimes in Asia and Africa.

But Supervisor Don Knabe introduced the motion that continues contracts with all the RITE providers countywide until DPSS completes a contract proposal process that would limit contracting out only to those cases where welfare-to-work contracts currently exist - in parts of the San Fernando Valley and the Antelope Valley. At that time, which has to occur before Dec. 31, Yokomizo's department would take over the program in all parts of the county, except the Antelope Valley and parts of the San Fernando Valley.

More than a dozen RITE providers urged the supervisors to continue the contracts, arguing their employees speak a variety of languages and are sensitive to the various cultures of their clients, who are often fearful of government employees.

``My family was killed in the Congo,'' Los Angeles resident Lyombu Bibianne said. ``I came to Los Angeles but nearly ended up on the streets homeless. When I was referred to the RITE program, I met people who spoke (my language). After three weeks, they found me a job.''

But Annelle Grajeda, general manager of Service Employees International Union, Local 660, said the county-funded programs would be better served with public employees.

``There is a term for those contracts negotiated based on personal relations rather than objective criteria,'' she said. ``They are called sweetheart deals. Sending a political Valentine may be expedient, but it's not the way to administer public policy.''

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com