Budget and Finance

Back to homepage

California Exports Gangs to High Schools

John Seiler: Well, one part California’s economy is booming, even exporting to other states: The Crips gang: “The Crips, one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States, has spread its network of crime into high

Read More

Cal State Presidents Receive Perks and Benefits Worth 50% of Base Pay

MARCH 26, 2012 By JOHN HRABE California State University presidents receive perks and benefits worth as much as 50 percent of their base salaries, or more than $145,000 per year, according to compensation data released by two campuses. Cal State

Read More

Paper: Massive Cheating in L.A., Other Schools Districts Across America

MARCH 26, 2012 By JOHN SEILER Yesterday the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a series on massive cheating on school tests across America, “Cheating our children: Suspicious school test scores across the nation.” It specifically looked at nine districts, including the Los

Read More

Loophole Allows New Cal State Prez to Receive 20% Raise

MARCH 23, 2012 By JOHN HRABE A loophole in the California State University’s new executive compensation policy will allow new Cal State Northridge President Dianne Harrison to earn a 20 percent raise over her current salary as president of Cal

Read More

Cal State’s Contempt for Public Disclosure

MARCH 22, 2012 By JOHN HRABE On Tuesday morning, I sent an email to three high-ranking officials at San Jose State University, requesting information about the executive compensation for former president Jon Whitmore and two key employees. By law, the

Read More

San Jose State Foundation Filed Fraudulent Tax Returns

MARCH 21, 2012 By JOHN HRABE A California State University foundation has filed fraudulent tax returns for three consecutive years, potentially jeopardizing the organization’s tax-exempt status, with the potential of criminal penalties for several university personnel, a CalWatchDog.com investigation has

Read More

CSU Christians Should Thank U.S. Supreme Court

John Seiler: The U.S. Supreme Court did Cal State Christian students a favor by turning down their lawsuit to get school money. This was sparked by Cal State’s “refusal to provide funding and other campus  benefits to student groups that

Read More

Special Series: Bond Holders Seek Governmental Transparency

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a CalWatchDog.com Special Series of 12 in-depth articles on municipal bankruptcy. MARCH 20, 2012 By DAVE ROBERTS Once upon a time buying a municipal bond was considered a safe bet. A decent rate

Read More

Low Interest Rates Will Kill Tax Hikes

MARCH 20, 2012 By WAYNE LUSVARDI All the proposed ballot initiatives to increase taxes in California are headed for a hard fall at the ballot box – because the economy is sluggish. And the economy won’t pick up speed unless

Read More

396,345 Jobs Lost if Property Tax Split

MARCH 19, 2012 By WAYNE LUSVARDI The Davenport School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University is out with a blockbuster new study on the affects of the proposed elimination of caps on commercial property taxes provided for under Proposition 13. 

Read More