More questions about state accounting: A Times Google+ Hangout

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The sweeping audit triggered by the accounting scandal at the parks department might not result in more allegations of malfeasance, but the situation has already revealed bookkeeping irregularities throughout California’s finances.

A Times analysis showed hundreds of millions of dollars in gaps between accounting data kept by Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, which plans the budget, and the controller’s office, which monitors cash flow.

The full story ran in Tuesday’s Los Angeles Times.

Mike Genest, who was former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s finance director, said it’s difficult to pinpoint every dollar in a budget as intricate as California’s.

‘It is more complicated than anybody’s personal checkbook,’ he said.

The Brown administration is planning to release its own review of California’s more than 500 ‘special’ funds. These accounts are separate from the state’s general fund and are often created to pay for specific programs. The money comes from user fees and from some taxes and is managed directly by state agencies.

The Times will host a Google+ Hangout at 1 p.m. with reporter Chris Megerian and city editor Shelby Grad on the accounting investigation. We invite you to join in the conversation by posting comments below, at The Times’ Facebook and Google+ pages or on Twitter using the #asklatimes hashtag.

-- Chris Megerian in Sacramento

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