Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The state legislature has released some salary data for staff members, but political watchdogs say that Sacramento politicians are still trying to keep many of their expenditures secret, the LA Times and SacBee report. Leaders in the Senate and Assembly have been under fire to reveal how much money they hand out as rewards to loyal legislators and how much they withhold from those who defy them. The controversy was sparked by Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Portantino who has charged that Assembly Speaker John Perez slashed his office budget as payback for voting against this year’s budget.
The legislature has exempted itself for years from state open records laws and has long kept secret exactly how it spends taxpayer money on salaries and office expenses. Legislators also routinely refuse to reveal when and how often they meet with lobbyists and special interest groups.
