The latest batch of primary election vote totals released Friday afternoon by the Fresno County Elections Office shows that Fresno Unified School District's $325 million Measure M school bond measure has claimed even more voter support, climbing to an approval margin of 59% to 41%. Most local bond measures require...
Bond Measures Could Raise Megabucks for Schools — and Taxes
Clovis Unified and Central Unified trustees will vote next week on whether to put multimillion-dollar school bond measures on the March 3 ballot, the same ballot that will contain a $15 billion state facilities bond measure for California's K-12 schools and public colleges. Fresno Unified trustees say they also want a...
Walters: An Ethical Double Standard
A political scandal that erupted in San Diego 16 years ago indirectly established a peculiar — and unseemly — ethical double standard regarding local ballot measures. Simply put, while it may be legal for public officials to mislead the public in seeking approval of bond and tax measures — which...
Walters: Bill Reduces Ballot Measure Transparency
Given their druthers, many government officials would prefer to do their business – our business, actually – behind closed doors and provide sanitized, self-serving versions of their actions after the fact. Journalists and governmental watchdogs struggle constantly to overcome the tendency toward secrecy and obfuscation, sometimes winning and often losing....
Walters: Finally, a Crackdown on Misuse of Taxpayer Money
Although state law specifically prohibits public officials from using taxpayers’ money for political campaigning, they have been doing exactly that throughout California. Local governments hire “consultants” to poll voters on what tax and bond measures they would find acceptable, to draft those proposals accordingly and, finally, to run so-called “information”...