Investigation

East Bay second Cal State foundation to file questionable tax returns

May 21, 2012 By John Hrabe With 427,000 students and 44,000 staff on 23 campuses, the California State University System is the nation’s largest higher education system. But from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Cal State is raising tuition, cutting

Cal State Foundation bonuses pose conflict of interest

CalWatchdog Staff May 17, 2012

May 17, 2012 By John Hrabe Following public outcry over six-figure pay raises handed out to top executives, the California State University Board of Trustees approved a plan last week to shift future pay hikes from taxpayer funds to nonprofit

Brown’s new budget attacks producers

CalWatchdog Staff May 14, 2012

May 14, 2012 By John Seiler Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revise to his 2012-13 budget proposal, released today, only will club more producers into leaving the state. It calls for $8.5 billion in tax increases from the initiative he is

Los Angeles teeters on the brink of bankruptcy

CalWatchdog Staff April 30, 2012

April 30, 2012 By Brian Calle Taxpayers in Los Angeles are facing a major crisis if Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials do not begin to address the systemic, structural issues putting the city on the fast track to economic upheaval.

Warning for CA: Harrisburg confronts bankruptcy

CalWatchdog Staff April 17, 2012

Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a CalWatchDog.com Special Series of 12 in-depth articles on municipal bankruptcy. In a warning for California, it examines the bankruptcy of Harrisburg, Pa. April 17, 2012 By Tara Leo Auchey What happened in

Cadiz creates water out of thin air

CalWatchdog Staff April 9, 2012

April 9, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Call it “thin water.” A small private company called Cadiz Inc. in Los Angeles is in the process of creating water in California’s Mojave Desert — like a magician, literally out of thin air. By

New High-Speed Rail Plan Runs Over Prop. 1A Mandates

CalWatchdog Staff April 3, 2012

April 2, 2012 By Katy Grimes As California politicians show more desperation to build any part of the California High-Speed Rail system in order to get their hands on $3.5 billion in federal stimulus money, the plan is looking more

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

CalWatchdog Staff March 26, 2012

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

The Dirty Secrecy of Clean Energy Costs

CalWatchdog Staff March 19, 2012

MARCH 19, 2012 By DAVE ROBERTS “Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” said Supreme Court Justice Lewis Brandeis regarding the need for governmental transparency – but apparently not when it comes to solar power and other renewable energy sources. California has

Four New California Cities Might Dissolve

CalWatchdog Staff March 13, 2012

Editor’s Note: Correction Below MARCH 13, 2012 By WAYNE LUSVARDI Newspapers across the United States have told of the financial plight of three cities in northern California facing possible bankruptcy: Stockton, Hercules and Lincoln. However, many may not be aware