ANGELES COUNTY : Need for Computer System Overstated, Audit Finds

Officials at the Los Angeles County education office fed county school board members misleading information that exaggerated the need for an $8.6-million computer system, county auditors have concluded.

Board members had approved the purchase in 1991 after senior staff members said a new computer was necessary. In a report released this week, auditors said the board received data that overstated the shortcomings of the old computer’s processor, the part that performs commands and computations.

County education officials released a written response denying the assertion. “Based on all of the information supplied to the board, the recommendation to purchase the (computer) can easily be supported,” wrote attorney Eric Bathen, who represents the county education office in Downey.