Skinny

Disclosure is all fine and dandy – until, apparently, the microscope is on you. A group of lawmakers, mostly Democrats, called a press conference last week to support a slew of new transparency bills in the wake of the scandal in the city of Bell. Both the Assembly Speaker and Senate leader Darrell Steinberg were on hand – though Steinberg did make a quick exit after some brief remarks. We didn’t think much of it at the time. Then we started hearing rumblings that the Senate was uneasy about one of the bills that apparently hit a little too close to home. The bill by Alyson Huber would require lawmakers and legislative staff salaries to be posted on the Senate and Assembly’s official websites. We’re flattered that the pro tem’s office pointed out that those salaries are currently available online at www.capitolweekly.net/salaries. But we’d be the first to tell you that it’s a pain in the butt to get them there. The data must be entered by hand, and the Assembly just recently agreed to provide the data electronically. The Senate has always been more reluctant to make such information easily accessible or convenient to which we respectfully say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If the Assembly seems willing, why wouldn’t this legislation sail through the Legislature?