Wildomar Mayor Launches Bid To Become RivCo Auditor-Controller

WILDOMAR, CA — Wildomar Mayor Ben J. Benoit announced this week that he is seeking the office of Riverside County Auditor-Controller and will be on the June 7 primary election ballot.

"I’m launching my campaign to restore accountability and transparency in the office of auditor-controller," Benoit said in a released statement Tuesday. "Protecting Riverside County’s quality of life and advocating for taxpayers will be my main priorities as auditor-controller."

The nonpartisan auditor-controller's office provides accounting, audit, payroll, and property tax administration services to county government, cities, K-14 schools and special districts. The auditor-controller is the chief accounting officer of the county.

The auditor-controller office is currently held by Paul Angulo, who was first elected to the post in Nov. 2010. He told The Press-Enterprise that he plans to seek re-election. Chris Raahauge is also running in the race for the job.

Benoit said he has endorsements from all five Riverside County supervisors.

"I strongly endorse Mayor Ben Benoit for auditor-controller,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a released statement. "I’ve worked with Ben on regional issues, and he is a consensus builder who cares about the people of Riverside County. He understands the challenges we face and I’m confident he will bring compassion, integrity, and transparency to the office of auditor-controller."

Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said Benoit would be an advocate for county taxpayers.

"Mayor Ben Benoit is an effective leader with a proven track record of delivering results for his constituents," Jeffries said in a released statement. "I proudly endorse Ben Benoit for auditor-controller because he is a local Mayor and businessman who will be a strong advocate for taxpayers in Riverside County."

In his campaign announcement, Benoit claimed Angulo has cost taxpayers over $435,000 in legal fees to settle retaliation and workplace harassment claims against him.

"I have no idea what my opponent is talking about, and neither does he," Angulo told The Press-Enterprise in response to the allegation by Benoit.

"[Angulo] also wastes tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lavish trips all over the country," Benoit said. "We need to end the culture of waste and abuse that plagues the auditor-controller’s office and institute reforms to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely."

Angulo defended the spending.

A county probe, in which The Press-Enterprise reported on, found that "about $89,000 was spent between 2011 and 2014 on tuition, lodging, airfare, and related expenses for classes at Harvard University, UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California for auditor’s office executives. Roughly $36,000 was spent on two leadership training programs between 2012 and 2014, when that same instruction was available in-house from the county, the probe found."

“No responsible public leader, especially in this arena of complex financial transactions and rapidly changing laws, would forgo training, up-down-and-across the organization, to ensure the veracity of the taxpayers’ money," Angulo told The PE, adding that the Board of Supervisors approved the training budget.

Benoit is the son of former lawmaker John Benoit, who served in the state Assembly, the state Senate, and on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors before his death from cancer in 2016. The younger Benoit was elected to the Wildomar City Council in 2010, and currently serves as a representative for Riverside County on the South Coast Air Quality Management District. He is the vice president of public affairs for the California Apartment Association and serves as an auditor for the Inland Empire Taxpayers Association.

Angulo, a certified public accountant and U.S. Army veteran, holds a master’s degree in management from the University of Redlands and he is a graduate of Harvard University’s Senior Executive Program in State and Local Government, according to his bio.