Investigation

Oakland hires ‘Stop-and-Frisk’ Bill Bratton to fight crime

Jan. 29, 2013 By Dave Roberts Oakland’s website prominently touts that it has been ranked by the New York Times as the fifth best place in the world to visit. It beat out every other North American city as well

‘New’ Delta plan rehashes old plans from 1950s and 70s

CalWatchdog Staff January 24, 2013

Jan. 24, 2013 by Wayne Lusvardi Just as Hollywood often remakes old movies, water engineers apparently rehash old forgotten plans to refashion the Sacramento Delta. And then the proponents call these plans “new” and “cheaper” alternatives. Water engineer Robert Pyke

Municipal Bankruptcy Can Restore Financial Stability

CalWatchdog Staff January 17, 2013

Jan. 17, 2013 By Todd C. Ringstad The threat of bankruptcy still haunts California. State and municipal finances have been improving, yet last year three cities filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy: Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes. Around the country,

Prevailing wage scams steal from taxpayers

CalWatchdog Staff January 11, 2013

Jan. 11, 2013 By Katy Grimes In what strange world do janitors get paid $45 per hour? In California, the land of the prevailing wage. The dirty secret is that janitors often are not really getting paid $45 per hour,

Prison realignment sparks crime spree

CalWatchdog Staff January 3, 2013

Jan. 3, 2013 By Troy Anderson In the early morning hours of Dec. 2, 2012, four people were found brutally shot and killed just outside an unlicensed boarding home in Northridge. Not long afterward, four suspects allegedly involved in the

Rose Parade runs over taxpayers

CalWatchdog Staff December 27, 2012

Dec. 27, 2012 By John Hrabe The world didn’t end in 2012, but several municipalities did. Four California cities, Stockton, Atwater, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes, declared bankruptcy this year. One financial expert described the problem as “spreading like a

Rail Series: Who will own it? Who will pay for it?

CalWatchdog Staff December 18, 2012

This is Part 6 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. Dec. 18, 2012 By Stan Brin In any discussion of rail expansion, two gorillas always appear: How

Rail Series: Surmounting the Tehachapi Barrier

CalWatchdog Staff December 17, 2012

This is Part 5 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 17, 2012 By Stan Brin Now comes the hard part. As Ned Ryerson, that great observer

Rail series: Medium-Speed Rail runs over High-Speed Rail

CalWatchdog Staff December 10, 2012

This is Part 1 of a series on Medium-Speed rail alternatives to California’s High-Speed Rail project. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. Dec. 10, 2012 By Stan Brin By now, everyone in California knows the voter-mandated High-Speed Rail

Pollution tax storm heads for L.A. County

CalWatchdog Staff December 3, 2012

This is Part 1 of a three-part series Dec. 3, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi The tax climate forecast for Los Angeles County has turned gloomy. There is an $8 billion annual tax storm that is coming in 18 months. It