Political Briefs
Top stories
Gov. Jerry Brown wants tax credit for poor in California’s budget — Gov. Jerry Brown, who has faced criticism for not doing more to combat persistent poverty in California, will include a new tax credit for the state’s poorest families in his revised budget plan Thursday. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article
California legislators blast UC over financial aid for out-of-state students — Lawmakers slammed the University of California on Wednesday for spending $32 million last year to provide financial aid to out-of-state and international students. While only a small portion of the university’s multibillion-dollar operations, the money hits at a deep mistrust that has developed between the state and UC during a combative budget process over the last six months. Sacramento Bee article
State budget
Fred Silva: Budget rules will drive where much of the extra money goes – but not how it will be spent – California Forward’s senior fiscal policy advisor writes, “After more than a decade of revenue booms and busts, it feels like déjà vu all over again—with tax receipts coming in as much as $4 billion higher than expected and almost that many ideas for how to spend it. The truth is, the state’s complex budget formulas will largely determine where these funds go—but that doesn’t mean lawmakers, mindful of the budgetary messes of the last 15 years, can’t make important choices about how this money is spent.” Silva in Fox & Hounds
Valley politics
Stockton Record: Residency rules are not optional – If candidates or elected officials are being fraudulent with the electorate, they should be prosecuted before they are entrusted with taxpayer money and with making important decisions that impact many levels of stakeholders. Stockton Record editorial
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Loretta Sanchez announcement back on for Thursday — Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s previously scheduled announcement about her U.S. Senate plans is back on again for Thursday. Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, will follow through with the 11 a.m. news conference at the Santa Ana Train Station. Though a campaign consultant declined to discuss what she plans to say, such public events are typically reserved for formal campaign launches. Capitol Alert; LA Times article
Debra Saunders: Kamala Harris may be the luckiest politician in California — The chance of a Republican winning in November after the top-two primary is slim. Moderate Democrats have been left behind as well. Without a single vote cast, party biggies made the progressive Harris the establishment candidate. Saunders column in San Francisco Chronicle
Other areas
Sacramento Bee: Lawmakers should confront health access – Once the governor releases his revised budget Thursday, lawmakers should make health care access a front-burner issue. Better to resolve it now than in a messy ballot fight next year. Sacramento Bee editorial
Dan Morain: An orgy of spending – The California Chamber of Commerce doesn’t often walk arm in arm with the Sierra Club. And billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, a warrior against climate change who is urging that Californians reduce gasoline use by There is, however, one point of agreement: The campaign for Senate District 7 has become a grotesque example of the impact of the unlimited outside spending. Morain column in Sacramento Bee
A.M. Aminian: Both sides have merit in vaccination debate – The president of the Fresno Madera Medical Society writes, “On the one side, there are those who say vaccinations are absolutely necessary to ensure the health and safety not just of individual children but the public as well. Others say the decision to immunize should be at the discretion of the child’s parents so parental rights are upheld. Both viewpoints have merit.” Aminian op-ed in Fresno Bee
Joe Mathews: Isn’t it about time for another useless tax commission? — It’s well past time to design big changes to the tax system. The goal should be changes that raise more revenues, reduce rates, and maintain progressivity of the system. A commission won’t help do any of these things. Mathews in Fox & Hounds
Sacramento councilman Hansen continues role as critic of mayor – On its face, the exchange between Steve Hansen and Allen Warren late Tuesday was a question of order – the rules of which were quickly explained by the city attorney. But some Sacramento political strategists said Wednesday that the posturing may point to Hansen cementing a role for himself at City Council: the anti-mayor. Sacramento Bee article
House votes to end NSA’s bulk collection of U.S. phone records — The House voted by a wide margin Wednesday to end the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records and replace it with a system to search the data held by telephone companies on a case-by-case basis. AP article; LA Times article
California Government Today:
News Briefs
Top Stories
Despite cutbacks, Sacramento Valley ponders big water sale in drought – Even as they cope with their own cutbacks, several Sacramento Valley water agencies are contemplating major water sales to huge farming interests south of the Delta. Some of the water would be sold for as much as $700 an acre-foot, a princely sum that reflects the increasing desperation among some Central Valley farming operations in the fourth year of California’s drought. Sacramento Bee article
California agency misses deadline on reporting oil-industry water use – The state’s oil and gas agency has missed the deadline for reporting on the use of water by oil producers in California, saying that the large volume of information required could not be processed in time. LA Times article
Jobs and the Economy
California had strong job-growth recovery, but still trailed Texas – California has had one of the nation’s strongest job growth rates since the Great Recession ended, according to a new national study, but still trailed arch-rival Texas. Sacramento Bee article
Mayor Swearengin puts a label on effort to rebuild neighborhoods: Restore Fresno – Ashley Swearengin now has a brand name to go with her long-running mayoral vision — Restore Fresno is here. Swearengin and a handful of top city officials gathered Wednesday morning near downtown to explain City Hall’s plan for transforming Fresno’s most challenged neighborhoods. Fresno Bee article
Time of year, other factors, raising price at pumps – California gas prices are high and getting higher. Time of year and refinery problems are among several factors. Modesto Bee article
LA minimum wage plan wins council panel’s backing: $15 by 2020 – A key group of Los Angeles lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a hotly contested plan to raise the citywide minimum wage to $15 by 2020, up from the current $9 an hour. The City Council committee’s action was sharply criticized by business leaders as a job killer, yet deemed inadequate by some activists pushing to raise the rate more quickly. LA Times article
Latino small businesses are nation’s fastest-growing – America’s economic future rests on the backs of small businesses, and three out of every four new businesses are started by Latinos, said Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Sacramento Bee article
Turlock council votes to audit chamber records on promotional work – The Turlock City Council will take a closer look at spending on city promotional efforts by the Chamber of Commerce, after hearing a preliminary report that nearly $100,000 remains in question. Modesto Bee article
State gives block grants to Fresno, Tulare anti-poverty groups – The California Department of Community Services and Development said Wednesday it has awarded grants to anti-poverty groups in Fresno and Tulare counties. Fresno Bee article
Fresno’s Storyland/Playland gets large matching fund donor – An anonymous donor has pledged $200,000 as a matching gift to make improvements and reopen Storyland/Playland in Roeding Park, the new Storyland/Playland board said Wednesday. The gift challenges the community to give $200,000, and the total would ensure the board has nearly half of the $850,000 needed to reopen the parks. Fresno Bee article
Private space race tightens in Mojave – Even as Virgin’s timeline to fly its first paying customers to suborbital space has been seriously delayed by the company’s fatal accident last fall, Mojave-based XCOR Aerospace has continued to develop its own suborbital launch system. Bakersfield Californian article
Big projects set for Tulare County – Several big projects are starting in Tulare County, including a Rite Aid in Farmersville. Visalia Times-Delta article
Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra: Putting money where music is – The management of the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra believes the organization may be ready to expand its operations. Bakersfield Californian article
Piece of Manchester Center renovation plan to appear before Fresno City Council – Plans to renovate the aging Manchester Center in central Fresno has floated around for almost three years. The mall owners, OmniNet Capital based in Beverly Hills, and manager, Mo Bagunu, have been tight-lipped about what’s coming. Fresno Bee article
Clint Olivier: No reason Manchester ‘can’t be prosperous’ – A Fresno City Council member says he sees no reason why the struggling Manchester Mall cannot be successful. A new ownership group is planning a renovation of the nearly dead shopping center. KVPR report
Huge sewer and water fee hikes loom in Riverbank – City leaders on Tuesday chose to pursue rate hikes boosting sewer bills 81 percent and water, more than 56 percent, in steps over the next five years. Modesto Bee article
Long Beach’s answer to Uber and Lyft? Cheaper taxi fares — Long Beach officials loosened restrictions on local taxi fares Tuesday, a move aimed at keeping cabs competitive with the flexible pricing models of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. LA Times article
Construction intensifying at downtown Sacramento arena site — The pace at which the arena is rising from the ground has increased in recent weeks after crews spent months clearing the site at Downtown Plaza. The $477 million arena is on schedule to be completed by the time the 2016/17 NBA season starts in the fall of 2016. Sacramento Bee article
Exeter manufacturer Waterman acquired in $5 million buyout — Exeter-based manufacturer Waterman Industries has been acquired in a $5 million management buyout in partnership with the Central Valley Fund, a Valley-based private capital investment group. The Business Journal article
Can Santa Monico – or anyplace else – enforce a ban on short-term rentals? – Santa Monica has thrust itself into the national uproar over short-term rentals with the most aggressive crackdown yet. City officials have explicitly outlawed rentals of less than 30 days. The law allows so-called home-sharing, such as renting a spare room, but hits hosts with licensing requirements and the city’s 14% hotel tax. LA Times article
Suit seeks damages for all victims of alleged Wells Fargo customer abuses – A former Wells Fargo & Co. customer accused the San Francisco banking firm in a lawsuit of fostering a high-pressure sales culture that ended up deceiving and defrauding him and customers nationwide. LA Times article
Defense Department’s tech investing signals Silicon Valley’s importance in cyberwarfare — As more conflicts shift from land to cyberspace, the nation’s defense agencies are relying less on missiles and tanks and more on Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs and startups to secure the country’s porous Internet battlefield. San Jose Mercury News article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Will the state cut Kings River usage? – Normally, the Kings River flows out of Pine Flat Dam and keeps a million acres of local farmland green — with State Water Resources Control Board officials barely noticing. This isn’t a normal year. On Monday, board regulators signaled that, in a matter of weeks, they will be issuing curtailment notices to some of the state’s “senior” water rights holders. Hanford Sentinel article
George Skelton: Before we can address California drought, we need a geography lesson – Many of us could use a refresher course in California geography as we debate how to manage the drought and prepare for an uncertain water future. For starters, calling the hardest-hit farm region the Central Valley is much too simplistic. Skelton column in LA Times
Tulare County supervisors talking water on DC trip – It’s not surprising that water is high on the minds of the county lawmakers, as California is in its fourth year of severe drought, and the Central Valley has been subject to some of the driest weather in the state. Visalia Times-Delta article
Merced Irrigation District urges public comment on environmental proposals for dam – Merced Irrigation District officials are urging area residents to formally comment on federal proposals that potentially could result in reduced water for farmers for the next 50 years. Merced Sun-Star article
As Delta smelt nears extinction, new concerns emerge over dredging – Hated by many, loved by few, the tiny Delta smelt has long been the symbol for California’s water wars and the struggle between the state’s environmentalists and farmers. Now, as the state struggles through its fourth year of historic drought, the fish is dangerously close to extinction after years of decline, biologists warn. And that’s igniting new scrutiny over the impacts that could drive the species over the brink, including one that isn’t well-known – the annual dredging of shipping channels in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. KQED report
Ripon almond processor looking to expand – Almond Ace Packing Inc., a grower-owned nut processing and export company, announced it has purchased its previously leased plant in Ripon and an adjoining property, as it looks to accommodate ongoing growth and possibly double its volume in the next five years. Stockton Record article
Undertaking one song, one shower challenge – The California Water Alliance, Facebook friends of the Waterwise column, issued last week the one song equals one shower challenge. Based in Hanford, the California Water Alliance wants local residents to pick a five-minute song or shorter, and be done with showering by the time the last musical note plays. Visalia Times-Delta article
Honeybees’ mysterious die-off appears to worsen – A prolonged and mysterious die-off of the nation’s honeybees, a trend worrisome both to beekeepers and farmers who depend on the insects to pollinate their crops, apparently worsened last year. New York Times article
California pool construction soars during drought — Californians built more backyard swimming pools last year than in any year since the peak of the housing boom. And this year, the state is on pace to shatter last year’s mark. All this – during one of the worst droughts in California history. That’s prompting some very different reactions from local water agencies. Capital Public Radio report
USDA develops first governmental label for GMO-free products — The Agriculture Department has developed the first government certification and labeling for foods that are free of genetically modified ingredients. AP article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
Joe Mathews: California’s biggest police problem is not enough officers – You wouldn’t know it by watching all the news about police-community conflict, or tracking all the state legislation on the use of force by law enforcement. But California’s biggest policing problem remains the same: There isn’t enough of it. Mathews in Sacramento Bee
California prison inspection uncovers unsanitary conditions – An inspection of a controversial California prison revealed unsanitary conditions, from a lack of hot water and incorrect storage of raw food to rodent droppings, a state report shows. The report on the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, obtained by Reuters on Wednesday under a Public Records Act request, exposed dozens of violations of health rules. Reuters article
Fresno County deputies drill for life-or-death situations – Two Fresno County sheriff’s deputies faced one another, perhaps 25 feet apart, their gun hands hovering inches above holsters like a scene from 1800s Dodge City or Tombstone. Then they drew 9 mm pistols and began shooting. After several seconds, a trainer blew a whistle and the gunfire stopped. Both deputies, Sean Quinn and Walden O’Neill, assessed splotches of blue on their pants and torsos. Fresno Bee article
Ceres officers secretly recorded female co-workers, lawsuit says – Several officers are accused of secretly video recording two of the Police Department’s female civilian employees, according to a harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed in Stanislaus Superior Court. Modesto Bee article
Lodi Police Chief Helms to retire next month – Police Chief Mark Helms announced on Wednesday that he will retire next month after leading the city’s Police Department for nearly four years. Stockton Record article
Orange County judge under threat of recall for child molester sentence fires back – An Orange County judge who is being threatened with recall for giving a child molester a lenient prison sentence contends he is a respected jurist who is the victim of a “misleading” campaign. LA Times article
Education
California’s graduation rate rises, but still mediocre – California’s high school graduation rate has improved in recent years but is still mediocre compared to other states, a new national study reveals. Sacramento Bee article
Committee kills repeal of controversial school reserve cap – The Assembly Education Committee, voting Wednesday along party lines, rejected Republican legislation that would have repealed a highly controversial limit on local school district budget reserves that was enacted last year. Capitol Alert
California tells colleges to quickly respond to sex assaults – California law enforcement and education leaders on Wednesday directed colleges to quickly notify authorities when a sexual assault is reported on campus, following criticism that incidents were being hidden by universities and not investigated thoroughly. AP article; LA Times article
Joel Fox: Education spending and student academic achievement results – Leaders in high performing schools say the difference between a high performing school and their not as high performing peers is that officials can tell you exactly what they would do with additional resources and what the desired outcome would be for their students. So what does all this mean for policy-makers in California? How the money is spent matters a whole lot more than how much is spent. Fox in Fox & Hounds
For first-generation students, graduating from college takes grit and grown-up support – This time of year, we’re posting selfies with happy college graduates and forwarding inspirational commencement speeches — and why not? Graduation is a righteous achievement. But it’s a lot harder for some than others. Especially for low-income students who are the first in their families to go to college. KQED report
Parents, community groups call on Fresno Unified for more parent engagement funding – Fresno Unified School District needs to spend more money on engaging parents and not just through workshops or Parent University, a group of parents, youth, health and family organizations told school trustees at their Wednesday meeting. Fresno Bee article
Judge rules Clovis Unified’s abstinence-only sex ed violated state law – In a recent court decision that some are calling historic, a Fresno County judge ruled that Clovis Unified School District’s abstinence-only sex education classes violated the state law. KVPR report
UC Davis mobile app offers students extra security – UC Davis officials rolled out a new public safety application on Wednesday, allowing students to alert police in emergencies and report suspicious activity through text messages. Sacramento Bee article
Father of student who died in PE class seeks change in Modesto schools – In a quiet voice, Alberto Vazquez spoke of his only son, 16-year-old Andy Vazquez, who died after collapsing during gym class at Gregori High on May 4. “My son comes to the house and tells me, ‘My PE teacher’s gonna kill me one of these days,’ ” Alberto Vazquez told the Modesto City Schools board on Monday night, his voice breaking. Modesto Bee article
Oakland to halt school suspensions for willful defiance – Mouthing off in class or failing to follow a teacher’s instructions will no longer lead to suspension in Oakland schools, a ban that will be phased in and be fully in effect just over a year from now, the school board unanimously decided Wednesday night. San Francisco Chronicle article
Speaking his mind: Pete Carroll spells out his philosophies in return to alma mater – Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll accepted an invitation to speak Wednesday at his alma mater, the University of the Pacific. In separate sessions, the energetic Carroll, 63, spoke with several Pacific coaches, student-athletes and a small media contingent inside the Alumni House on campus. Stockton Record article
Student says Cal Poly Pomona is trying to silence his vegan campaign — Cal Poly Pomona student Nicolas Tomas never thought handing out leaflets promoting a vegan diet would become so controversial. But when college administrators moved to restrict his activities, Tomas sued the university. His case became a flashpoint in the debate over how far universities should go to promote tolerance and civility on their increasingly diverse campuses — and whether some of those policies unfairly restrict constitutionally protected free speech. LA Times article
In LA Unified races, there’s one issue where charter schools and teachers union agree — Charter-school backers and the teachers union are on opposite sides in next week’s Los Angeles school board elections. But both sides view the school district’s ill-fated and expensive effort to provide iPads to all students as key to victory. LA Times article
Energy/Environment
Downtown Business Hub unveils vehicle charging stations — The Downtown Business Hub in Fresno is the latest site of new electric vehicle charging stations for the Central Valley. The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation hosted a ribbon cutting event Wednesday to inaugurate the four Level 2 charging stations, in partnership with the San Joaquin Valley Electric Vehicle Partnership and NRG eVgo. The Business Journal article; Fresno Bee article
Grant will let Arvin test electric-powered yard trucks – A $3 million state grant approved Wednesday will give Arvin and four other Central Valley communities the opportunity to test out heavy-duty yard trucks that run entirely on electricity. Bakersfield Californian article
William Dillinger: Transformation plan threatens soul of state parks – The past president of the Sacramento Audubon Society writes, “As a longtime former California State Parks chief of public information and as an environmentalist, I have grave reservations about the recently announced Transformation Action Plan. It appears to treat the state parks system as some kind of a business, which it is not. And the planneglects the first and most important mission of state parks – to preserve and protect the parks’ natural and historic resources.” Dillinger op-ed in Sacramento Bee
Number of days with temperature above 95 degrees F to soar in LA County – By 2050, parts of Los Angeles County are forecast to experience triple or quadruple the number of days of extreme heat if nothing is done to control greenhouse gas emissions, placing further demand on the region’s drinking water and electricity, according to two new reports by UCLA scientists. LA Times article
NRC wants more research on earthquake risk at nuke plants — Federal regulators Wednesday directed nuclear power plants in California and Washington state to conduct additional, in-depth research into earthquake risks by June 2017, part of a broad review of seismic threats following Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster. AP article
Cemex mine in Tulare County settles dispute with neighbors — A Cemex gravel mine in Lemon Cove will keep pumping water into a recharge ditch so neighbors’ wells won’t go dry, Tulare County Resource Management Agency director Mike Spata said Wednesday. Fresno Bee article
Oildale gets new tree project — Citizens for a New Oildale has added 10 potted trees to a stretch of North Chester Avenue, part of its ongoing efforts to beautify the area. Bakersfield Californian article
Health/Human Services
Breast cancer proposal could leave 17 million without mammogram coverage – A new report estimates that 17 million women ages 40 to 49 could lose free annual mammogram coverage if an influential medical panel adopts its proposed breast cancer screening guidelines. The new figures from consulting firm Avalere Health are the latest development in a growing medical and political controversy that was resurrected last month after Congress quashed it in 2010. McClatchy Newspapers article
UC Merced graduate student looks at use of social media in health care – The use of social media can have a significant impact on health care communication, according to new research at UC Merced. Graduate student Holly Rus has taken the lead on a new study that analyzes how health-related Facebook posts influence and connect with readers. Merced Sun-Star article
VA improperly spent $6 billion on care, official says – The Department of Veterans Affairs has been spending at least $6 billion a year in violation of federal contracting rules to pay for medical care and supplies, wasting taxpayer money and putting veterans at risk, according to an internal memo written by the agency’s senior official for procurement. Washington Post article
Modesto man with severe chronic pain can’t get prescriptions filled – Miguel Perez, who has severe multiple sclerosis, lives with an unbearable pain few people ever experience. The 42-year-old Modesto man is prescribed four pain medications for trigeminal neuralgia, a rare condition causing such searing facial pain it is sometimes called the suicide disease. In recent months, Perez has been able to fill only one prescription for painkillers because of restrictions on hydrocodone products that went into effect in October. Modesto Bee article
Lemoore senior center still waiting for update on grant — The Lemoore Senior Center is still waiting for an update on a $1.4 million state grant it was awarded more than seven months ago. Hanford Sentinel article
Foster Farms’ 2013 salmonella outbreak scrutinized on PBS — A PBS documentary questions how Foster Farms and the federal government handled a 2013 salmonella outbreak tied to raw chicken processed in Livingston and Fresno. Modesto Bee article
Hospitals step up search for best scope-cleaning protocol — Three months after deadly superbug outbreaks sparked alarm nationwide, U.S. hospitals are still searching for how best to clean a controversial medical scope and keep patients safe. LA Times article
Transportation
Food court remodel to launch at Sacramento International Airport — Sacramento International Airport next week will launch a $5 million-plus “extreme makeover” of the food service and passenger waiting areas on the upper level of Terminal A, officials announced Tuesday. Sacramento Bee article
Other areas
Chowchilla hires new city administrator – City Council hired a new city administrator here on Tuesday to fill a position that’s been held by an interim for several months. Brian Haddix, who has been the city manager of Sanger since 2010, agreed to a two-year contract at $140,156 annually plus other benefits. The annual rate jumps another $4,300 if he remains employed through December. Merced Sun-Star article; The Business Journal article
Former Fresno Unified trustee Asadoorian now working for Borgeas – Former Fresno Unified Trustee Michelle Asadoorian has a new job. She started Tuesday in a part-time position with Fresno County Supervisor Andreas Borgeas. “Her community involvement and expertise in education and public policy make her invaluable,” Borgeas said. Fresno Bee article
Stockton mayor: ‘We need to do more’ – Wednesday night, Bolanos had new neighbors. Mayor Anthony Silva and his 10-year-old son Caden Silva spent the night in a cardboard box next to Bolanos’ tent. It marked the second year the mayor has stayed the night with the homeless to dramatize their plight. Wednesday’s event was organized by Inner City Action, which operates a homeless center on Wilson Way and regularly provides food to the needy. Stockton Record article
Homeless veteran count rises 6 percent in LA, posing hurdle for Garcetti – The population of homeless veterans in Los Angeles rose 6% in the last two years, according to figures released Wednesday, casting doubt on whether Mayor Eric Garcetti can meet his pledge to get every service member off the streets by year’s end. LA Times article
Grand jury chides Stockton for neglecting south side – Hoping to spur change in chronically downtrodden south Stockton, the San Joaquin County Grand Jury has issued a report urging city government to take a lead role in a neighborhood renaissance. Stockton Record article
Cook honored for investigative look at state Dental Board — Rachel Cook, former health reporter at The Californian, was honored Tuesday night in Fresno at the 27th annual George F. Gruner Prizes for Meritorious Service in Journalism for her in-depth look at the Dental Board of California and the troubled practice of one particular Bakersfield dental surgeon. Bakersfield Californian article
Hanford Sentinel’s Joe Johnson wins Gruner award — Joe Johnson, a former writer for The Sentinel and now editor of the Selma Enterprise, Kingsburg Recorder and Lemoore Navy News, was honored for his coverage of use of force by law enforcement officers at the 27th annual George F. Gruner Prizes for Meritorious Service in Journalism. Hanford Sentinel article
‘Scent of a Father’ by David Mas Masumoto on Valley Writers Read – This week on Valley Writers Read we hear a story by local author and farmer David Mas Masumoto titled “Scent Of A Father.” KVPR report
Tulare River tribe building sports park — The Tule River Tribal Council was granted a special use permit on Wednesday to allow construction of a more than 22-acre sports park on a rural patch of land just east of the tribe’s reservation. Visalia Times-Delta article
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – American leaders must rethink tough-on-crime agenda.
Sacramento Bee – Once the governor releases his revised budget Thursday, lawmakers should make health care access a front-burner issue. Better to resolve it now than in a messy ballot fight next year; Sacramento council’s ad hoc panels are an affront to open government.
Stockton Record – If candidates or elected officials are being fraudulent with the electorate, they should be prosecuted before they are entrusted with taxpayer money and with making important decisions that impact many levels of stakeholders.