Lanhee Chen is a leader, problem-solver and educator who has built his career on tackling some of California and America’s biggest fiscal policy challenges. He was raised in Southern California and is the son of immigrants from Taiwan. After earning four degrees from Harvard University, including a law degree and doctorate in political science, he served in senior roles in both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations.
The Controller’s Office was unable to disclose to the public where each one of the roughly 50 million payments it made—totaling over $300 billion in 2018 alone—went. The state’s comprehensive financial reporting system, FI$Cal, was supposed to be finished already, but is over-budget, late, and expected to lack some of the functions that were originally promised. As Controller, I will put an end to the Sacramento excuses and produce results. I will leverage the innovation and technology we have in our state to ensure that taxpayers have access to a best-in-class system to see these payments and understand exactly how their money is being spent.