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Study: CA ranks last in spending transparency
California ranked at the bottom for the second consecutive year on the annual report on state government transparency compiled by the Public Interest Research Group, an investigative and advocacy organization based in Boston. And the state’s beleaguered Department of Technology, or CalTech, can be assigned part
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Analysis: Which proposed bills help, hinder, small businesses
Among the approximately 2,000 bills considered in the California Legislature this year, many affect small businesses. Here’s the analysis of four by the National Federation of Independent Business California: Assembly Bill 23 and Senate Bill 5, the Affordable Gas Tax for Families
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LAO questions local school funding accountability
When Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in July 2013 that increased funding for the state’s neediest students and restored local control over how that money is spent, he hailed it as “historic.” Brown also called it “truly revolutionary. We are
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Brian Calle interviews Scott Walker
Here’s the full list of the videos of CalWatchdog.com Editor-in-Chief Brian Calle’s interviews with Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a leading Republican candidate for president. They ran individually last week. Video 1: Scott Walker on right-to-work and Obama criticism. Video 2: Scott
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ACLU lawsuit challenges secret phone-tracker programs
Police departments may have been tracking your every move without a warrant. But the full extent of the program — and its total cost to California taxpayers — has been kept secret. A year ago the American Civil Liberties Union of
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Big twist in San Diego stadium saga
A stadium task force named by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has been holding a rapid-fire series of meetings with football, development and finance officials about the challenge facing California’s second-largest city in keeping the Chargers from bolting town for
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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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LAO: CA housing costs likely to keep ‘rapidly rising’
The state Legislative Analyst Office’s new report on the high cost of housing in California got some coverage around the state, with a primary focus being its call for 100,000 additional housing units being built a year. The LAO says
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CA officials can use private email
Hillary Clinton has made headlines in recent weeks for using private email for official U.S. government business when she was secretary of state. Federal law mandates that all such business be conduced on public email systems that are archived. The
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