While the editorial board has reservations about Controller Malia Cohen due to several high-profile errors from her office, her work on fiscal transparency and improving the state’s bond rating merits another term.

Waste, fraud and abuse. 

It’s a catchphrase politicians can’t seem to get enough of these days.

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Rightfully so. Many Californians are beyond frustrated that state officials didn’t adequately track costs or outcomes for the $24 billion funneled into homelessness programs in recent years — and that the anticipated cost of high-speed rail ballooned from $45 billion to $126 billion amid glacial progress on its construction.

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In a broader national climate of distrust and affordability concerns, accurate, detailed information on California’s expenditures has never been more important. 

The person best positioned to provide it is California’s chief fiscal officer — the state controller. 

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The State Controller’s Office is California’s internal auditor — empowered to investigate how state agencies and local governments are spending state funds — and its accountant, handling payroll for state employees, overseeing the statewide accounting system, issuing reports on the state’s finances and operations and working to return unclaimed property and funds to their owners. The controller also sits on 70 boards and commissions, including those of the state’s two largest pension funds, which together manage nearly $1 trillion in assets. 

It’s a serious job with serious stakes. 

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Does Democratic incumbent Malia Cohen, a former member of the state Board of Equalization and........

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