Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
State Politicians Still Up to their Sneaky Tricks: Walters
David Website Replacement
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 7 years ago on
June 14, 2018

Share

Californians like transparency when its comes to their elected leaders.
Voters demanded that legislation be printed three days in advance when Proposition 54 passed in 2016.

‘Mushroom Bills’ Grow in the Dark

But as CALmatters columnist Dan Walters notes in his June 14 piece, Sacramento lawmakers still find an end-around.
With the budget heading to its final approval stages, Walters decries the practice of “trailer bills” that need not be printed in advance, and take effect immediately upon passage and the signature of the governor.
“It’s why some folks around the Capitol call them ‘mushroom bills’ that sprout in the dark, fertilized with manure,” Walters writes.

Shoveling Dirt Over Bond Transparency

And now, there is more funny business when it comes to finding out about what is in a local government or school bond measure.
Senate Bill 863, which would require disclosing the financial impacts of bond measures, was amended this week. Now there is a two-year suspension of Republican Assemblyman Jay Obernolte’s “requirement to tell voters the financial facts about the bond issues they are being asked to approve,” Walters writes.
Read more Dan Walters on trailer bills and the lack of transparency at this link.

DON'T MISS

Trump Issues Sweeping Pardon of Supporters Charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

DON'T MISS

Thousands in Downtown Fresno to Celebrate MLK Jr. in Annual March

DON'T MISS

What Does the Future Hold for Cooper Kupp and Matt Stafford?

DON'T MISS

Madera County Crash Claims One Life, Hospitalizes Other Driver

DON'T MISS

Bears Hire Lions’ Offensive Guru Ben Johnson as Their Head Coach

DON'T MISS

Senate Confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Giving Trump the First Member of His Cabinet

DON'T MISS

Musk Is Likely to Get a West Wing Office for His Cost-Cutting Project

DON'T MISS

Town Hall Speaker Will Reveal How Zipline Drone Delivery Is Saving Lives

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture

DON'T MISS

Canada Relieved Trump Doesn’t Impose Tariffs on the Major US Trading Partner on First Day

UP NEXT

Trump Wants to Deport Immigrants Accused of Crimes. CA Sheriffs Could Make It Easy

UP NEXT

Trump Returns to Power After Unprecedented Comeback, Emboldened to Reshape US

UP NEXT

Trump to Release Records on the Assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King

UP NEXT

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

UP NEXT

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

UP NEXT

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

UP NEXT

Attorneys Say Utility May Have Destroyed Evidence of What Caused Deadly LA-Area Fire

UP NEXT

Walmart Breaks into Luxury Resale Market, Will Offer Chanel, Fendi, Prada, Other Brands

UP NEXT

California Years Behind in Implementing Law to Make Homes More Fire Resistant

UP NEXT

Fire at One of World’s Largest Battery Plants in California Forces Evacuations

David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Madera County Crash Claims One Life, Hospitalizes Other Driver

13 hours ago

Bears Hire Lions’ Offensive Guru Ben Johnson as Their Head Coach

13 hours ago

Senate Confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Giving Trump the First Member of His Cabinet

13 hours ago

Musk Is Likely to Get a West Wing Office for His Cost-Cutting Project

14 hours ago

Town Hall Speaker Will Reveal How Zipline Drone Delivery Is Saving Lives

14 hours ago

Elon Musk Ignites Online Speculation Over the Meaning of a Hand Gesture

14 hours ago

Canada Relieved Trump Doesn’t Impose Tariffs on the Major US Trading Partner on First Day

14 hours ago

Gusty Winds, Extreme Fire Weather Return to Southern California

15 hours ago

Ramaswamy Won’t Serve on Trump’s Government Efficiency Commission, Eyes Ohio Governor Run

15 hours ago

Fresno Protesters Rally Against Deportations on Heels of Trump Inauguration

16 hours ago

Trump Issues Sweeping Pardon of Supporters Charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday said he was pardoning about 1,500 of his supporters who have been charged in the Jan. 6, 2021,...

12 hours ago

President Donald Trump holds up an executive order commuting sentences for people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
12 hours ago

Trump Issues Sweeping Pardon of Supporters Charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack

MLK Jr. March in Downtown Fresno. January 20, 2025. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)
12 hours ago

Thousands in Downtown Fresno to Celebrate MLK Jr. in Annual March

13 hours ago

What Does the Future Hold for Cooper Kupp and Matt Stafford?

A fatal crash on State Route 41 near Road 209 claimed one life and injured another on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (CHP)
13 hours ago

Madera County Crash Claims One Life, Hospitalizes Other Driver

Ben Johnson
13 hours ago

Bears Hire Lions’ Offensive Guru Ben Johnson as Their Head Coach

Photo of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., left, accompanied by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, right
13 hours ago

Senate Confirms Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Giving Trump the First Member of His Cabinet

14 hours ago

Musk Is Likely to Get a West Wing Office for His Cost-Cutting Project

14 hours ago

Town Hall Speaker Will Reveal How Zipline Drone Delivery Is Saving Lives

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend