As our 3rd year of operation comes to a close, we remain truly humbled by the overwhelmingly positive response to the Transparent California website and the service it provides. It has been […]
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105 Santa Monica city workers cleared over $300,000 last year
CBS Los Angeles did a report on Santa Monica’s extroardinarly high compensation packages, using TransparentCalifornia.com data. Given the time constraints, the segment could only cover a fraction of the excess. Here are […]
US public pension plans’ accounting gimmicks exposed
I’ve written previously on the staggering consensus of experts who reject the accounting methods utilized by U.S. state and local public pensions plans to understate the true size of their debt. It’s worth […]
An easy solution to the teacher shortage
In today’s Washington Examiner I highlight the unfair burden public pension plans impose on today’s teachers and students. A slice: CCSD could boost teacher pay, at no extra cost, if lawmakers allowed it to […]
Teachers’ Unions Profit at Students’ Expense
At RealClearPolicy.com, I argue that reforming California’s terrible tenure laws will require understanding what created it, not merely wishing legislators act against their own self-interest. Because experts cite teacher quality as the most important […]
Government unions profiting at the expense of others: California’s teacher tenure rules
Here’s a letter to the editor I sent to the Sacramento Bee in response to Teacher tenure debate ends with too little noise, August 23. California’s teacher tenure rules — so harmful to students’ well-being […]
Unfunded liabilities in Marin County top $1 billion
Update 8/22/16: We have learned that the City of Larkspur adopted OPEB reforms earlier this year which were not reflected in the most recent annual financial statements used for this analysis. As such, they would […]
Shining a light on the public pension crisis
In an exclusive op-ed for the RealClearPolicy website, I address the U.S. public pension crisis. A slice: While underperforming investments receive the most attention, they aren’t the real reason for the tax […]
Pay gap widens between public, private workers
Our op-ed on the only harmful form of income inequality is featured in today’s edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune: The call for government to enact “share the wealth” policies is growing […]
85% of Marin County’s special district workers collected over $100,000
Today, Transparent California released 2014 compensation data for Marin County’s 20 largest special districts. The top 5 earners were: Southern Marin Fire Chief James Irving: $374,456 Novato Fire Chief Mark Heine: $370,145 […]