The University of California is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct in the fulfillment of its education, research, public service and patient care mission. Every employee at the University plays a role in maintaining our ethical standards. The University’s Whistleblower Policy provides multiple avenues for employees to bring forward concerns of potential employee misconduct. The University encourages you to report concerns about possible improper governmental activity directly to the whistleblower hotline (http://universityofcalifornia.edu/hotline; (800) 403-4744); or your supervisor, department head, Locally Designated Official (LDO) or other appropriate university offices or officials.
The systemwide whistleblower hotline is independently operated to receive calls or web-based reporting from faculty, staff, students or members of the public. The hotline allows for anonymous reporting, forwarding reported concerns to appropriate University officials for processing. This hotline is staffed seven days a week, 24 hours per day and is capable of receiving reports in a number of different languages.
For more information about the whistleblower process, please visit the UC Merced Whistleblower website and keep an eye out for posters displayed in various employee areas that outline reporting channels. Additionally, the University's whistleblower poster highlights other avenues for reporting improper governmental activity, such as the California State Auditor and the California Attorney General.
The California Government Code requires every state agency, including the University of California, to annually distribute to its employees a message from the California State Auditor that provides an explanation of the California Whistleblower Protection Act. Please find the 2025 message below.
Our collective goal is to ensure that the University of California remains a highly ethical institution, adhering to our internal policies as well as external regulations and laws. Together, we can continue to foster an environment of integrity and uphold the principles that define our institution.
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Whistleblower Program – Fraud Waste Abuse – Be Part of The Solution!
YOU CAN REPORT IMPROPER ACTS
We are your confidential avenue for reporting improper activities by state agencies or employees. It is your responsibility, as a government employee, to report any type of fraud, waste, or abuse, which ultimately protects scarce state resources. It is also your right to be free from retaliation for doing so.
In 2024, we received 1,135 whistleblower allegations. Some of the most commonly reported improper acts include waste of state funds, misuse of state resources, and hiring improprieties. Whistleblower complaints through our office have triggered investigations revealing $589 million in improper spending, such as:
- An agency failed to conduct work required by state law despite collecting $1.6 million dollars to perform this work.
- A supervisor failed to deposit a check for nearly $875,000, resulting in waste and inefficiency.
- A manager’s gross misconduct resulted in numerous unlawful appointments by advising paid clients on how to fraudulently obtain state jobs.
- Improper disclosure of personal information to a candidate about multiple other candidates.
WE INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS
We report substantiated allegations to the head of the employing agency. In addition, we report some of the substantiated allegations to the general public, keeping confidential the identities of the state employees involved. You can view these reports on our website at: www.auditor.ca.gov/reports.
We refer substantiated violations of law-to-law enforcement agencies, as appropriate.
HOW TO REPORT
You have three ways to report information to us confidentially:
Call the Whistleblower Hotline at: 800-952-5665
Mail information to: Investigations: California State Auditor, P.O. Box 1019, Sacramento, CA 95812
Submit online to: https://www.auditor.ca.gov/whistleblower
WHAT TO REPORT
Pursuant to Government Code section 8547.2, subdivision (c), improper acts by a state agency or employee that should be reported to the State Auditor include: Violations of state or federal law, including theft, fraud, or conflict of interest; Noncompliance with an executive order, Rule of Court, the State Administrative Manual, or the State Contracting Manual; Misuse or waste of state resources, including property or employee time; Gross misconduct, incompetence, or inefficiency.
WHAT WE CAN'T INVESTIGATE
We do not have the authority to investigate either violations of internal department policies or procedures or local government agencies and employees.
WE PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
If you report an impropriety, you are protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act, which:
- Requires us to protect your identity (except from law enforcement);
- Prohibits retaliation, intimidation, threats, or coercion by state employees that could interfere with your right to disclose improper governmental activities.
If you believe that you have been retaliated against for disclosing an improper governmental activity, you should report this immediately to one of the following agencies:
State and Court Employees
State Personnel Board, 801 Capitol Mall, MS53 Sacramento, CA 95814
California State University Employee
Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, 310 Golden Shore, Room 115, Long Beach, CA 90802 (or contact the appointed campus administrator).
University of California (UC) Employees
Contact the locally designated official for the UC facility at which you are employed. Visit www.ucop.edu for more information.
HELPFUL TIPS WHEN FILING A COMPLAINT
Prepare Before Filing
Gather your thoughts before filing a complaint and prepare yourself to answer the following questions:
- What is the improper activity?
- Who acted improperly?
- Where does that person work?
- How often and for how long has the activity been occurring?
- Why has it been allowed to continue?
Support What You Allege
We are unable to investigate allegations without support for your complaint. Therefore, please remember to include the following:
- Description of the evidence that proves what you are alleging.
- Names and telephone numbers of knowledgeable witnesses.
- Copies of any documents you have in your possession that support your allegation. (Please do not submit original documents, as they cannot be returned.)
Consider Providing Contact Information
You have a right to file a complaint anonymously. However, we may not be able to investigate your complaint if we cannot talk to you to confirm the information you are providing or obtain additional information. Please remember that if you identify yourself to us, we cannot reveal your identity to anyone else without your permission, except to appropriate law enforcement personnel who are conducting a criminal investigation.
Keep Your Complaint Confidential
We investigate complaints as confidentially as possible to protect both your identity as a whistleblower and our ability to gather information without interference. To protect the confidentiality of your complaint, we encourage you not to tell anyone that you filed a complaint with us.
California State Auditor - Report Improper Activity (Brochure)
