Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

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San Onofre bailout under growing fire

California’s powerful, politically connected giant electricity utilities are used to getting their way and to getting help when things go wrong. When an ineptly designed state power “deregulation” law exposed Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego

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Audit reveals ‘serious and pervasive deficiencies’ in West Covina

A scathing audit by state Controller Betty T. Yee has found “serious and pervasive deficiencies” in the city of West Covina’s administrative and internal accounting controls. The problems with West Covina’s public contracts were so bad, the controller’s office says,

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Special contracts allow ‘full-time’ teachers to work for both union and district

It’s been called “ghost teaching,” and it thrives in California. Full-time teachers are paid six-figure salaries to work for their union while keeping their school district seniority and pensions afloat. The dual work arrangements are built into union contracts. “This

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L.A. Controller’s audit reveals overtime pay abuse

Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin released an audit on Tuesday outlining excessive overtime use in the Department of Transportation. The controller’s office received an anonymous tip from its Fraud Waste & Abuse Hotline and was able to “identify four supervisors

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Legislator warns against lawsuit abuse

When California’s Republican legislators warn that high taxes, onerous regulations and frivolous lawsuits are driving businesses out of California, they are not only talking about corporations like Toyota, which is relocating from Torrance to Plano, Texas. They are also concerned

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DWP employees paid up to three times that of private sector

A new study by the California Policy Center found that employees at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power make up to nearly three times the pay of their private-sector equivalents: “The largest premiums are found in generic jobs

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CA prisoner population down, guard pay up

Federal court orders forced California to cut its number of prisoners. That resulted in Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2011 “realignment” program, which mainly shifted prisoners to local jails. Yet overall state prison-guard compensation is up sharply. Reported the San Diego U-T: Overtime

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CA boosts film subsidies while Michigan could cut them

Last September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $330 million film subsidy bill to help Hollywood fend off subsidies from other states. He said, “Today, we remind the world that the Golden State is the home of the silver screen. This bill

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Auditor scolds state on state computer disasters

A longtime theme of CalWatchdog.com has been the numerous computer disasters of the California government, in juxtaposition to the computer and Internet revolutions that have taken place in the state. State Auditor Elaine M. Howle just released a comprehensive report scolding

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