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Leadership
Michael C. Houston
City Auditor
Michael C. Houston, MPP, CIA
Michael C. Houston was elected as Oakland’s City Auditor on March 5, 2024. The election results were certified by Oakland’s City Council on April 30, 2024, and he was sworn into Office on May 3, 2024.
Michael has over 15 years of government auditing experience. He previously worked at the San Jose City Auditor’s Office, where he analyzed the efficiency and effectiveness of myriad city programs, and at Cal State University East Bay, where he directed the campus’ internal audit and investigation functions.
He joined the Office of the City Auditor in 2019 as the Whistleblower Program Manager, a role in which he led investigations into allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse reported to the City Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline. He was promoted to Assistant City Auditor in April 2021 and led the Office’s professional staff in conducting performance audits, investigations, and special analyses. Michael assumed the role of Acting City Auditor on October 14, 2023, after the previous City Auditor, Courtney Ruby, resigned.
Michael has a Master of Public Policy degree from U.C. Berkeley, a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Sonoma State University and is a Certified Internal Auditor.