Washington Examiner — Jan. 22, 2020 Soaring public pension costs are driving a wave of tax hikes across California, but many officials are reluctant to admit that fact. Instead, voters are told […]
Robert Fellner
Oakland taxpayers must fund disability pensions for those in “excellent physical condition” working full-time elsewhere
Oakland taxpayers are required to fund so-called disability pensions for former law enforcement officers who are working full-time in law enforcement elsewhere, Transparent California has learned. In 2014, Oakland made national headlines […]
Union rules, not wildfires, behind soaring firefighter overtime pay
By: Robert Fellner Los Angeles Daily News — 1/14/20 Overtime pay for Los Angeles firefighters is making national headlines again, thanks to eye-popping payouts that allowed several employees to pocket over $400,000 […]
LA Times misleads on upcoming tax hike
The Los Angeles County Fire Department will ask voters to approve a property tax hike in March. The department has cited an increase in medical calls, as well as the need for […]
Calpensions wrap-up: A look back at the ‘crisis’
Best summary of the California pension crisis you’re likely to come across!
250 million pageviews!
As the Transparent California team reflects on 2019, we’ve received a big piece of news — the site will eclipse 250,000,000 all-time pageviews by the end of the year! That’s not a […]
Court ruling in CalPERS lawsuit threatens to gut California’s public records law
This commentary was first published by the San Diego Union-Tribune It is going to be much easier for California governments to hide their affairs from the public if the legal standard put […]
FBI special agent still collecting CalPERS disability pension
In an op-ed for today’s San Diego Union-Tribune, I describe how the recent court ruling in our CalPERS lawsuit will be used to undermine governmental transparency across the state. I also take aim at […]
California’s 100k club grows as tax hikes mount
Our recent report on California’s exploding $100K club has generated quite a bit of coverage, perhaps none better than the recent Orange County Register editorial, “California’s 100k club grows as tax hikes mount.” The editorial […]
Court ruling threatens to gut California’s public records law
It is going to be much easier for governments to hide their affairs from the public, if the legal standard put forth in a just-issued Sacramento County court ruling is upheld. Last […]