SOUTHLAND BRIEFS : Schools Vulnerable

A state audit of the Los Angeles Unified School District released recently said sloppy record-keeping and procurement practices exposed the district to $3 million in potential fraud or theft over the last two years, but it found no evidence that the weaknesses resulted in losses. The state auditor general’s report, requested by Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette (R-Northridge) after the discovery last year of an embezzlement scheme involving high-level district officials, found “no major breakdowns” in procedures governing purchases and use of district property. But the report urged district officials to more strictly enforce district rules designed to prevent theft by its employees.