Los Angeles Municipal Financial Reports - Transparency

Taxation and Finance California 3 Minutes Read ยท published February 02, 2026 Flag of California

Los Angeles, California publishes municipal annual financial reports through the city transparency portal and departmental pages so residents, businesses and researchers can review budgets, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) and supporting datasets. The City Controller maintains the official financial reports and historical CAFRs for the City of Los Angeles[1]. The municipal Transparency Portal aggregates budget summaries and machine-readable datasets for fiscal analysis[2]. For public records requests, the City Clerk provides guidance and submission routes if a report is not available online[3].

If a report you need is not online, file a public records request with the City Clerk.

What the Transparency Portal and Controller pages include

The portal and Controller pages normally provide:

  • Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) and audited financial statements.
  • Annual budgets, budget summaries and fiscal year schedules.
  • Machine-readable datasets and spreadsheets supporting revenue, expenditure and fund balances.
  • Contact information for the publishing department and instructions for records requests.

Penalties & Enforcement

Specific statutory fines or penalties for failing to publish annual financial reports are not specified on the cited pages; enforcement and remedies for withholding records are handled under applicable city and state public records laws and by the department identified as responsible for the record (for example, the City Controller for CAFRs or the City Clerk for records requests). Current as of February 2026.

  • Monetary fines: not specified on the cited pages.
  • Escalation (first/repeat/continuing offences): not specified on the cited pages.
  • Non-monetary sanctions: administrative orders, court review or injunctive relief may apply under public records law; exact remedies not specified on the cited pages.
  • Enforcer and complaint pathway: departments publishing the records (City Controller or City Clerk) and the City Attorney for legal enforcement; use departmental contacts or the public records request process.
  • Appeals and review: appeal routes and time limits for records denials are handled under the public records procedures; specific time limits are not specified on the cited pages.
If you believe a required report was unlawfully withheld, request review through the City Clerk or consult the City Attorney.

Applications & Forms

Downloading published CAFRs and budget PDFs requires no application form; files are posted for direct download on the Controller and Transparency pages. To request unpublished records, submit a public records request to the City Clerk using the official request form or portal on the Clerk's site.

How to find a specific annual financial report

  1. Identify the fiscal year and document type you need (CAFR, budget, revenue schedule).
  2. Search the City Controller financial reports section for CAFRs and audited statements.
  3. Use the Transparency Portal to access datasets and budget summaries for fiscal analysis.
  4. If the document is not online, submit a public records request to the City Clerk with the document name and fiscal year.

FAQ

Where can I download the City of Los Angeles CAFR?
The City Controller's financial reports page lists current and archival CAFRs for download.
What if the report I need is not posted?
File a public records request with the City Clerk; the Clerk provides an online submission form and instructions for appeals.
Are datasets available for analysis?
The Transparency Portal publishes machine-readable datasets and budget spreadsheets suitable for analysis.

How-To

  1. Go to the City Controller financial reports page and search the listing by fiscal year.
  2. Download the CAFR PDF or open accompanying spreadsheets linked on the report page.
  3. If you need raw data, go to the Transparency Portal datasets and export CSV or Excel files.
  4. If the file is not available, submit a public records request to the City Clerk with document details and preferred format.

Key Takeaways

  • The City Controller hosts official CAFRs; the Transparency Portal provides datasets for analysis.
  • No application is needed to download posted PDFs; submit a public records request if a file is missing.
  • Contact departmental publishing offices or the City Clerk for questions or appeals.

Help and Support / Resources

  1. [1] City Controller - Financial Reports and CAFRs
  2. [2] City of Los Angeles Transparency Portal
  3. [3] City Clerk - Public Records and Records Requests

Categories

General Governance and Administration Public Safety Public Health and Welfare Land Use and Zoning Housing and Building Standards Transportation Environmental Protection Parks and Public Spaces Business and Consumer Protection Taxation and Finance Labor and Employment Education Civil Rights and Equity Elections and Campaign Finance Events and Special Uses Signs and Advertising Utilities and Infrastructure Technology and Data