Despite the discovery that she plagiarized much of her writing, Jean McCorquodale will keep the $1 million given to her by Santa Clara County to write a book about the county’s history, the San Jose Mercury News reported March 13.
The San Francisco Unified School District board voted March 15 to allocate an additional $5.1 million toward fixing the school district’s payroll system, San Francisco Examiner reported March 15, noting that this brings “the total cost of the troubled software to $30 million.”
An independent audit of the Stockton Unified School District released February 14 found “sufficient evidence to demonstrate that fraud, misappropriation of funds and/or assets, or other illegal fiscal practices may have occurred in the specific areas reviewed.”
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system in San Francisco spent $350,000 on a homeless outreach program that resulted in one confirmed homeless person receiving services, BART Inspector General Harriet Richardson reported February 3. The two-year program, run by the Salvation Army under a contract with BART, was intended to fund homeless outreach teams at two BART stations on Mission Street and help people with mental health and drug addiction issues. The program was approved in two contracts from July…
“In the ongoing saga of the $1.7 million toilet once planned for the Noe Valley Town Square, there’s some good news and some news that will turn your stomach,” San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight wrote January 21.
Glenn County’s court system has “multiple weaknesses and a lack of safeguards” in its oversight of purchases and payments, “putting the court at significant risk of inappropriate use of public funds,” the state auditor reported January 12.
A $145 million project to add a suicide-preventing net to the Golden Gate Bridge is running five years late and the cost is now expected to top $400 million, the San Francisco Business Times reported November 30. Installation of the 385,000-square-foot steel net was supposed to be completed by 2021, but now is expected to be delayed until 2026. A suit filed by the project’s general contractors alleges that the taxpayer-funded Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, which operates…
The Sacramento City Council voted 8-1 this week to increase City Manager Howard Chan’s base salary from $372,700 to $400,652 – a 7.5 percent raise that sets Chan’s base pay $182,096 higher than Governor Gavin Newsom’s. With bonuses and incentives, Chan’s new compensation could reach $456,994, The Sacramento Bee reported November 2. He will also will receive $500 per month for a vehicle, $100 per month for cell phone costs, and $400 as a monthly expense allowance. The vote came…
A press conference to announce a “state budget win” for construction of a public restroom in San Francisco was abruptly canceled October 19 after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the restroom – a 150-square-foot facility that will house a single toilet – will cost taxpayers $1.7 million and won’t be completed until 2025. NBC Bay Area reported October 19 that the cost is higher than the $1.3 million median price for a home in the city. NBC Bay Area…
The Fresno City Council voted September 29 to spend $600,000 on “voter education” materials for two November ballot measures, including a sales tax increase measure.