Steve Miller, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Steve Miller

Steve Miller

Lawsuits up as state implements regs to stem slave labor

California is becoming ground zero for lawsuits seeking class action status that allege companies are, somewhere along the line, misrepresenting their supply chain and using slave labor abroad. Plaintiffs claim the companies — which are not necessarily based in the

Cal State union considers striking; seeks 5 percent raise

Steve Miller October 19, 2015

The 25,000 members of the California State University faculty union will cast ballots in a strike-authorization vote beginning Monday. It is the fourth time the union and university have battled over wages in eight years. The union seeks a 5

When is too much enough? A look at schools, money and taxpayers

Steve Miller October 15, 2015

A proposed $9 billion state bond for school construction projects includes multimillion-dollar project requests from districts where student enrollment has declined, a CalWatchdog investigation has found. The measure, on the 2016 ballot, is supported in large part by a cadre

Developer lobby helping to promote $9 billion education bond

Steve Miller October 7, 2015

A $9 billion school-construction bond that voters will decide on in November 2016 will be promoted heavily by titans in the construction industry that stand to profit mightily if the measure passes. The stakes for builders are high; failure to

Cumulative trauma law bedevils employers, hands fired employees a payday

Steve Miller September 30, 2015

The Monteleone family opened Barone’s Italian Restaurant in Valley Glen 70 years ago, and has seen its share of employee turnover. But Tom Monteleone got a nasty lesson in California’s employee relations law last week. One of his cooks was

Unique “behested” campaign donations prop up nonprofits, political endeavors in growing numbers

Steve Miller September 21, 2015

Donations to special interests on behalf of statewide officeholders have grown from $250,000 in 2000 to $4.9 million so far this year, records show. The donations, which can be solicited by the charity or the officeholder, are unlimited and need

State agency struggling to police for-profit colleges

Steve Miller September 14, 2015

The state talks a big game about policing the for-profit college industry, with legislative proposals to ease student debt and a massive lawsuit against the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges. But an $8 million bureaucracy the state launched five years ago

California state agencies easy targets for hackers

Steve Miller September 2, 2015

This is how the state government handles a department that has continually received sub-par evaluations: add employees, boost wages 17 percent and total spending on salaries by 36 percent. And as for retirement benefits, increase those by 79 percent total,

Cal State University system hikes fees to offset tuition freeze

Steve Miller August 22, 2015

What a difference five years makes. In 2010, the California State University system issued $352 million in revenue bonds. Earlier this month, it issued $1.1 billion of the same thing. The debt issuance is standard, generally considered to be part of the

Developer fees targeted by legislation as cities battle housing costs

Steve Miller August 11, 2015

Rent control is on the march in California, addressing years of leases that have increased to as much as 43 percent over the national average for a one-bedroom apartment. In the last year, rent has increased 6.5 percent in the