Steve Miller, Author at CalWatchdog.com

Posts From Steve Miller

Steve Miller

Bill increases CPUC transparency, restricts private meetings

A measure that will be heard this summer in committee at the statehouse aims to tighten the reins on private communications between utilities and the commissioners who regulate them at the California Public Utilities Commission. But even if SB 660 is passed,

DOJ advisory groups violate open meetings requirements

Steve Miller July 21, 2015

A subcommittee inside the California Department of Justice is accused of meeting in violation of the state’s open meetings act by failing to publicly disclose what actions it will be discussing in its required public meetings notice. A cadre of

State-funded disabled care center settles assault case with paltry $400,000

Steve Miller July 19, 2015

A care-giving facility for disabled adults and the taxpayer-funded groups that oversee it have settled a 2011 lawsuit that accused the center of numerous instances of abuse and violent attacks on patients. The incidents include the sexual assault of several

Taxpayer-subsidized companies raking in public contracts

Steve Miller July 15, 2015

Los Angeles County is hitting 1.000. The county has done business with each of the top 10 recipients of local and state subsidies in California, records show. The practice is common, although hardly in violation of any rules. But across

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

Steve Miller July 7, 2015

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

Banned guns not the ones used in crimes

Steve Miller June 8, 2015

In the wake of firearms madness on both sides of the issue comes a batch of material obtained via public records request from guns.com, a news website that editorially tilts toward the support of gun rights. The site found that

California eases back on gun legislation

Steve Miller June 8, 2015

Guns are once again being targeted by California lawmakers this year, though the pace of anti-weapons legislation, seemingly on automatic for decades, has ebbed. In previous sessions, you could scan for bills and come up with at least 100 that

California continues tussle with ex-offender employment

Steve Miller May 27, 2015

The good news is that the California Department of Corrections offers program to help inmates become opticians. The bad news is that there are four different state statutes that allow the state to refuse to license an ex-offender as an

CA’s history of direct democracy sometimes brings out ‘crackpots’

Steve Miller May 15, 2015

This week, lawmakers once again loudly proclaimed their outrage at a proposed ballot initiative that would allow voters to decide whether gay people should be shot. The notion is both sickening and unconstitutional, but it’s also part of California’s political

UC endowments soar as tuition hikes continue

Steve Miller May 5, 2015

While families struggle to help students with tuition — and as student loan debt skyrockets — California universities continue to amass multimillion- and even billion-dollar endowments. Endowments at the state university system schools have seen massive increases since 2009, even