A Berkeley employee bought a city ambulance without permission — and management failed to disclose the breach publicly when requesting approval after the fact, a new audit finds.
The worker who made the purchase is no longer employed by the city (which was unable to share any context about the separation before publication time).
Details about the nearly $300,000 ambulance buy were released Wednesday by the Berkeley auditor's office, which credited its internal city whistleblower program with bringing the problems to light.
The investigation into the purchase was the first public report to come from the whistleblower program, which launched in 2024, city records show.
According to the audit, the Berkeley Fire Department realized it needed a new ambulance in late 2022.
An unspecified city employee then "executed a purchase agreement without City Council approval," which is required for spending above $100,000.
(The audit did not provide information about the employee's city role or department.)
The employee disclosed the $286,000 purchase to management in October 2023.
The city's finance department did not learn about the purchase until the "custom-build ambulance" was nearly complete.
There was no record that the City Council was informed about the lapse when it was discovered, the audit found.
In December 2023, the former city manager sought and received council approval for the ambulance purchase — but disclosed nothing publicly about the breach in protocol.
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