Waste, Fraud and AbuseNew Stem Cell Boss Grabs $400K SalaryMonday, July 11th, 2011 JULY 11, 2011 By WAYNE LUSVARDI People are upset. The Los Angeles Times reported that the new chairman California stem cell research center, Jonathan Thomas -- an investment banker -- will draw a salary of more than $400,000 per year. Current Chairman Alan Trounson also makes a salary o... California 2010: The Year in ReviewThursday, December 30th, 2010 DEC. 30, 2010 By JOHN SEILER For California, 2010 brought exciting developments in many areas. The year catapulted our local computer company, Apple, into the first position among information companies, based on market capitalization (the total value of stocks). It surpassed long-time riva... Treasure Island’s Toxic ProblemMonday, October 11th, 2010 San Francisco's hottest property may be Treasure Island, where plans for glitzy development are threatened by the Navy's legacy of radioactive waste OCT. 12, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO SAN FRANCISCO -- The jet fighters raced across the sky maybe 500 feet above me. They were F-18s painted blu... State Prolongs Victims’ NightmareFriday, October 1st, 2010 OCT. 1, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO The state of California is apparently so dysfunctional that it can’t even kill a convicted rapist and murderer. After 28 years on San Quentin State Prison’s death row, Albert Greenwood Brown was supposed to die this week. But like most executions attempt... Trouble at Developmental ServicesWednesday, August 25th, 2010 AUGUST 25, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO This should sound familiar to many people. “(T)here is not really any communication between staff and upper management,” one employee said. “A lot of us are angry and hurt about the way the management seems to be unscathed by the budget, and yet t... CARB fines dealers for DMV mistakeMonday, April 26th, 2010![Husqvarna_TC610_bj_2000[1]](http://www.calwatchdog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Husqvarna_TC610_bj_20001-305x227.jpg) APRIL 26, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO Where the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is concerned, trying to do the right thing often just isn’t enough to keep a company from paying tens of thousands of dollars in penalties. Just ask the guys who work at GP Motorcycles and Moto Forza in S... Fraud plagues state stimulus fundsThursday, April 8th, 2010 APRIL 8, 2010 By TROY ANDERSON The board of directors’ retreat at a luxury casino: $8,300. The price tag for their bottled water: $2,300. And let’s not forget their facial tissue: $460. These are just a few of the $542,478 in disallowed expenditures made by the Economic Opportunity ... Cities create own traffic fiefdomsTuesday, April 6th, 2010 APRIL 6, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO According to aides to Sen. Jenny Oropeza, D-Long Beach, a Long Beach police officer recently gave a Torrance resident a choice: get a speeding ticket for violating the state’s Vehicle Code, which will go on the driver’s record and likely result i... State violates e-waste rulesWednesday, March 31st, 2010 March 31, 2010 By ANTHONY PIGNATARO Despite a state Auditor’s report and a four-year-old law that prohibits consumers from throwing old and broken electronic devices into the trash, many state agencies are apparently still throwing computers, television sets, radios, printers, copiers, r... |