On Monday, March 6, 2017, a federal judge awarded $2.5 million to a military veteran who was denied timely medical care at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The Arizona Republic‘s Jacques Billeaud reports on the results of the civil trial in federal court. A judge on Monday awarded $2.5 million…
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Back in 2011, when students were peacefully protesting steep tuition hikes, UC Davis cops pepper sprayed them. This abuse resulted in a $1 million settlement, more than half of it going to consultants, who reported to a panel headed by Cruz Reynoso, a Jerry Brown pick California voters booted off the state Supreme Court…
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President-elect Donald Trump finds “tremendous waste, fraud and abuse” in the federal government,” and proclaims “we’re going to get it.” That will be a tough task because, as one recent case confirms, waste, fraud and abuse are inherent in the system. When he applied for a job with the EPA in 1989, John Beale…
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“There is no native criminal class except Congress,” said Mark Twain. A look at California might change his mind. As Taryn Luna notes in the Sacramento Bee, the state political ethics watchdog wants a $57,000 fine against state Senator Tony Mendoza, who allegedly “broke campaign-finance laws to keep money out of the hands of…
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California is a high-tech state and that leads Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews to wonder: “Why, in this Internet age, doesn’t my state offer a one-stop shop where I can renew my driver’s license, register to vote, pay my taxes and buy passes to a state park?” This one-stop shop, says Mr. Mathews,…
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With newspapers in decline, stories about government waste, fraud and abuse tend to get short shrift. One notable exception is Jon Ortiz of the Sacramento Bee, whose “State Worker” columns demonstrate how waste works. For example, California’s Board of Equalization, a tax agency, wanted to replace a door. The initial cost for that simple…
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While millions around the world watched the Academy Awards on February 28, Brian Lamb of C-SPAN was hosting Thomas Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste. The interview confirmed that when it comes to wasting taxpayers’ money, government bureaucrats are endlessly creative. Lamb recalled the first Golden Fleece award in 1975, a project of…
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As Tony Barboza notes in the Los Angeles Times, the California Coastal Commission is “the most powerful land-use agency in the nation” and some of the 12 commissioners want to fire the boss, Charles Lester. This action should serve as a timely reminder for Californians of the abuse they face at the hands of…
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California governor Jerry Brown is in a mood for spending. As Jon Ortiz and Dale Kasler note in the Sacramento Bee, his 2016-17 budget includes “a $1.5 billion infrastructure plan that would also remodel a portion of the Capitol.” The governor has “proposed transferring $1.5 billion from the state’s general fund to a new…
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Politicians talk about spreading the wealth but ruling-class redistribution works best in one direction. Government takes money from the workers and gives gobs of it to government bosses, often on their way out the door. As we noted, when Jim Estep parted company with the northern California city of Lincoln he bagged a separation…
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