The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) remains entangled in controversy. A pair of exposés by the Higher Education Inquirer outlined long-standing corruption, wage theft, credential fraud, media suppression, and potential misuse of power — much of it centered on Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC). At the heart of this mess is Jo Ann Rivas, also known as AuditLA, whose rise as a public advocate now appears alarmingly entangled with district insiders.
Jo Ann Rivas: Activist or Soft Cover?
Jo Ann Rivas emerged as a visible transparency activist under her alias AuditLA. She cultivated a digital persona across YouTube and Twitter, positioning herself as a fierce champion of oversight and institutional accountability. Her activities included public records requests, criticism of media arts department practices, and watchdog commentary on LACCD administration.
According to a July 2025 follow-up article, Rivas served on LAVC’s Citizen Building Oversight Committee, and was later paid as a trainer and presenter despite reportedly only contributing to the student-produced film Canaan Land in the role of casting assistant. Her name appears on TransparentCalifornia records as a salaried “expert” in Media Arts despite minimal professional credentials.
Rivas’s online activism often fostered public support: a GoFundMe campaign in April 2025 raised funds for her motorized wheelchair rental, describing her as a tireless advocate attending City Council, Fire Commission, and Public Works meetings despite physical limitations.
Allegations of Collaboration with a “Crooked” Administrator
Yet, these laudable elements are overshadowed by serious allegations. A recent Twitter thread by @LaccdW accuses AuditLA of being “allied with crooked LACCD Administrator who was complicit in another admin planting drugs on employees to get them fired.”
This narrative was corroborated as the same themes in the June Higher Education Inquirer exposé: Rivas, once positioned externally, appears to have been leveraged in internal campaigns aimed at suppressing employees and internal dissent. Her activist language seems to have been co-opted in narratives that facilitated politically motivated purges, effectively turning a transparency persona into a tool of internal sabotage.
Public Reputation vs. Private Entanglements
Rivas’s earlier community involvement also includes long-standing civic roles, such as a School Representative on the NoHo Neighborhood Council and chairing safety meetings for local schools. She once led parent-community sessions with local police at North Hollywood schools, advocating for community safety and school engagement. But these community credentials now contrast sharply with the emerging depiction of her as an insider actor in institutional conflict.
Meanwhile, the scandal around LAVC continues to worsen: fabricated credentials by Media Arts Chair Eric Swelstad, student wage theft dating back to 2013–2016, and multi-million-dollar misappropriations tied to major district projects, including the unfinished Valley Academic and Cultural Center.
The subsequent deletion of IndyBay posts and censorship of HEI’s earlier coverage shortly after Alberto J. Roman assumed the chancellor’s post has intensified concerns about district-led suppression of investigative journalism.
What This Means for Oversight
Jo Ann Rivas’s trajectory—from neighborhood advocate to county-funded presenter to controversial figure allied with insiders—raises red flags about the potential erosion of independent oversight. The key issue: whether her engagement was an authentic push for accountability or a manipulated front for internal politics.
Moving forward:
- Official investigations should examine Rivas’s financial ties and documented payments connected with LAVC, particularly her paid roles in Media Arts events or committees.
- Public transparency should include full disclosure of training, presentation fees, and committee engagement.
- And the district must restore access to previously removed journalism, allowing public scrutiny on both administrative misconduct and Rivas’s evolving role.
Jo Ann Rivas embodies the paradox of modern civic advocacy: a passionate, visible crusader whose real-world role may have shifted from watchdog to insider collaborator. In a system already fraught with opaque operations and suppression of dissent, that shift may have had devastating consequences for institutional accountability.
