Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Direct democracy abuses: Both parties have dirty hands

Over the past 14 months, San Diego voters have repudiated the decisions of the Democratic majority on the City Council three times. The most influential Democrat on the council thinks he knows why: San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria will

School bond problems go far beyond LAUSD purchase of iPads

Chris Reed February 3, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s skepticism about state assistance for local school districts’ construction projects appears to be primarily based on an intense disdain for adding more billions to what he likes to call the state’s “wall of debt.” But a counter

Californians distrust state government

Dave Roberts January 30, 2015

Nine out of 10 Californians believe state government wastes their tax dollars. Two-thirds believe state government is run for the benefit of a few special interests and state officials cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Those results from a

Correa could benefit from his bill to accept late ballots

John January 28, 2015

Former state Sen. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, is down but not out of the race for the Orange County Board of Supervisors. If he ultimately prevails, he can thank a change in state law to accept late absentee ballots, a bill authored by

Contra Costa County government scandal: Third World R Us?

Chris Reed January 27, 2015

It’s long been common in politics for one side to comment on how alleged wrongdoing is covered by the media if their side does it versus how it’s covered if it’s the other side doing it. But this tactic and/or

LAO report: Dozens of school districts not honoring intent of state law

Chris Reed January 25, 2015

The state Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report last week on how 50 California school districts were dealing with the requirements of the 2013 Local Control Funding Formula law. That’s Gov. Jerry Brown’s ballyhooed reform measure that is meant to

Villaraigosa record has pluses for Senate bid — and landmines

Chris Reed January 24, 2015

The signs are growing that state and national Democrats’ attempts to clear the U.S. Senate field in 2016 for California Attorney General Kamala Harris aren’t working. Several well-known Democrats are seriously considering challenging Harris, and at least a couple seem

UC president appears to cave in fight with Gov. Brown

Chris Reed January 22, 2015

Three months ago, University of California President Janet Napolitano triggered a fight with Gov. Jerry Brown and leaders of the Legislature when she persuaded the UC regents to commit to a five-year plan in which tuition was raised by 5

Top lawyer for controller benefits from much-criticized state perk

Chris Reed January 14, 2015

The state government’s practice of letting workers defy official state policy and pile up unused vacation days and cash them in upon retirement has been criticized on and off for years. California government watchdogs and journalists have outlined the budget

New category of CA employees tries to sandbag pension fixes

Chris Reed January 5, 2015

When elected officials participate even very indirectly in a process that improves their compensation, the public goes wild. It’s powerful attack-ad fodder for candidates seeking to unseat such politicians. But when powerful bureaucrats engage in such in a maneuver —