California Governor calls for public salaries to be put online

More sunlight may shine across California for taxpayers and open government proponents -- perhaps a little too late for the residents of Bell.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger challenged California's cities Thursday to post public officials' salaries on websites.

If they have nothing to hide.

"Put the information on the website so people don't even have to call," Schwarzenegger said in a budget speech to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Republican governor said Californians have been asking for compensation information after revelations that the Southern California city of Bell paid three of its top administrators a total of $1.6 million a year."
Read more
Location Oakland, Ca - Private Investigator

California government news site aggregates content from more than 200 sources

"Curious about what news the State of California is making right now? Want to see the latest YouTube videos or Twitter activity at-a-glance? California’s news hub, news.ca.gov, aggregates content from more than 200 sources from across state departments and agencies into one place. Launched today by State Chief Information Officer Teri Takai, the news site is part of the newly redesigned CA.gov portal that receives 7.3 million unique visitors each month.

“Governor Schwarzenegger is committed to increasing transparency and citizen engagement, to keep Californians informed of all that is happening with their state government,” said Teri Takai, state chief information officer. “The State is publishing a vast amount of news and information every day. With social networking sites and automated information feeds, state agencies are making it easier for news to reach the public. We have taken the additional step of creating this continuously updated news hub, a one stop destination for Californians to see what is happening in state government — all at a glance.”

With more official sources being added daily, the news hub scoops up real-time feeds from across State government, including 83 Twitter accounts, 40 YouTube channels, and nearly 100 RSS feeds. The homepage features quick and easy access to all of the latest news, including aggregated, up-to-date RSS, Twitter, and YouTube feeds. Clicking on the topical areas such as business, education, government, health and safety, family, and visit provides users a view into news items organized by category."
Read more
Location Oakland, Ca - Private Investigator