State Capitol, Sacramento. (Photo: Franco Folini)State lawmakers and voters agreed on one thing: transparency in government. Local government, that is. State government remains exempt. Did voters know that when they approved Proposition 42 on June 3?
Hey, Big Daddy,
Why do some pieces of legislation seem like they don’t really do anything?
— Puzzled in Petrolia
Don’t kid yourself. There’s a reason why every bill is introduced. Like that old sourpuss Ecclesiastes says, everything under heaven has a purpose. Something like that.
The purpose of every bill isn’t to be signed
State elected officials often voice their support for open, accessible government. But they also, with few dissenting votes, recently approved legislation that would allow the governor to meet secretly with local legislative bodies.
“The question here should be why can the attorney general, district attorney or chief of police be allowed to have closed