Auditor-Controller Bios

Rupa2          

Auditor-Controller

Rupa Shah, CPA

Rupa began her work with the County in 1997. She began her service with the Office of the Auditor-Controller in 2000. During her tenure within the Office of the Auditor-Controller, Rupa served as Assistant Auditor-Controller, Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller over General Accounting, Reporting, and Financial System; Chief Deputy of Internal Audit; and as an Internal Auditor. Outside of the County, she has held positions with County of Riverside and private CPA firms. Rupa is a licensed CPA in California and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Commerce, International (equivalent to Business Administration track in US).

Burcu          

Assistant Auditor-Controller

Burcu Mousa, CPA

Burcu (pronounced Burju) began working in the Auditor-Controller’s Office in 2016 as the Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller overseeing the General Accounting Division and was appointed Assistant Auditor-Controller in June 2019.   After graduating magna cum laude from CSU, Chico, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Professional Accounting Burcu started her career in accounting and finance working with regional accounting firms as an external auditor. Throughout her career in public accounting, she has gained experience in a variety of industries, specifically, governmental entities, employee retirement systems, and non-profit organizations. Burcu is a Certified Public Accountant.

James-Lam

Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller

James Lam, CIA, CFE, CGAP

James joined the Auditor-Controller’s Office in 2021 with 18 years of local government auditing and management consulting experience. Prior to joining the County, James served as the Deputy and Assistant City Auditor at the Long Beach City Auditor’s Office, where he was responsible for overseeing performance/operational audits, fraud investigations and special studies conducted by internal audit staff and external consultants. He has also worked as an internal auditor for the Los Angeles City Controller’s Office and as the Managing Principal of Arroyo Associates, Inc., where he led the firm’s management consulting practice providing operational and management audits and studies, and other consulting services for various cities, counties and special districts. James holds an MPP from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government; an MBA from the Drucker School of Management; and a BA from the University of California, Irvine. He is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP).

 

Siomara Barajas bio picture

Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller

Siomara Barajas, CPA

Siomara joined the Auditor-Controller’s Office in 2020 and was promoted to Chief Deputy Auditor-Controller overseeing the General Accounting Division in 2022. Prior to joining the County, Siomara worked with a local CPA firm where she worked within the audit, accounting, consulting, and tax departments and gained experience across various industries including healthcare, non-profit organizations, employee benefit plans, and a governmental entity. Siomara is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and graduated from CSU, Monterey Bay, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentrating in accounting.