Whistleblower Hotline Launched In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Sonoma County employees, members of the public and vendors can now anonymously report instances of suspected fraud, waste or abuse occurring within the County of Sonoma Government, the county announced Tuesday.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors recently approved a proposal from the office of the Sonoma County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector to launch a new hotline designed to allow whistleblowers to report such abuse.

Suspected fraud, waste or abuse can be reported online at Integritycounts.ca/org/countyofsonoma or by sending an email to countyofsonoma@integritycounts.ca.

Online reporting is the preferred method but reports also can be made by phone, county officials said. County employees are asked to call 800-921-6840, while members of the public and vendors should call 800-916-8745.

"Whistleblowers and protections for whistleblowers help keep government, businesses and other institutions on the right side of the law," said Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Board of Supervisors. "There is no job more important than protecting the public interest from suspected wrongdoing. I urge any individual with evidence of abuse of authority, danger to public health and safety, or violation of any law, rule or regulation to find the courage to speak up and use this important resource for public good."

"The County of Sonoma is committed to accountability, transparency, fairness, and the prudent use of public funds," said Erick Roeser, Sonoma County Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector. "One of my goals is to foster and maintain a work environment based on the principle of financial integrity and the whistleblower hotline is an important tool in achieving this goal."

Examples of fraud, waste and abuse handled by the new program include missing cash, embezzlement, falsified documents, theft of equipment and supplies, vendor kickbacks, conflicts of interest, personal use of county assets and bribery, among others, according to Dan Virkstis, a spokesperson for the county.

"The new hotline joins existing resources that are available to report suspected welfare fraud, law enforcement review, insurance fraud, Medi-Cal fraud, child protection, 24-hour emergency mental health and suicide prevention, safety hazards and code enforcement," Virkstis said.

For more information about privacy considerations, additional hotline numbers or how to submit concerns, visit: Whistleblower-Hotline-Program/.