Mismanagement plaques Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District

An investigation by Keith Matheny of The (Palm Springs, Calif.) Desert Sun found questionable management practices by the local mosquito and vector control district. Following dozens of interviews and reviewing thousands of pages of documents, Matheny discovered that the agency, despite having nearly $13 million in reserves, planned to hike a tax on homeowners and property owners. On top of that, the agency's general manager paid $2.3 million more than budgeted for a new lab facility, and increased spending fivefold since 2000, while having fewer employees spraying for bugs such as ants and mosquitoes.