California ACORN goes independent

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- California's chapter of the community organizing group ACORN says it is splitting off from its controversial parent organization.

The Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment will have a lot of the same staff members and the same mission as it did when it was known as California ACORN, but will improve its transparency by outsourcing its accounting functions and forming an advisory committee of community leaders.

The split was made about four months after Congress stripped ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now – of its federal funding after an undercover investigation by an activist group captured ACORN employees discussing tax evasion and other wrongdoing.

The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday the action by the California organization could be emulated by other local ACORN groups.