A Chicago-based non-profit transparency watchdog declared victory on Aug. 25 in a years-long battle to expose more than $300 billion in California government spending, making it the 50th and last state to have its “checkbook” made public.
Unlike most of the other 49 states, however, California officials fought OpenTheBooks.com at every turn and would have succeeded in keeping state government expenditures concealed from the state’s taxpayers but for the determination of the nonprofit.
At one point in the struggle, California’s Controller Betty Yee claimed in a state court after the nonprofit sued for the spending data that officials could not provide it to OpenTheBooks.com or anybody else because the state has no central payments database….