Sacramento County, California

From Sunshine Review

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Sacramento County is one of 58 counties in California.

As of 2006 the population was 1,347,799. The County covers about 994 square miles in the middle of the Central Valley, California's prime agricultural region.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of California county websites

[edit] The good

• The names and contact information for all board of supervisor members is provided.

• Board of supervisor meeting minutes are agendas are published.

• The current budget is published.

• Information on contracts is provided.

• Information on taxes is provided.^[1]

• Information on building permits and zoning is available.^[2]

[edit] The bad

• There is no information on audits, administrative officials and lobbying.
• No information is provided on how to request public records using the California Public Records Act.

[edit] Lobbying

[edit] Tax-funded lobbying

Main article: California taxpayer-funded lobbying

During the two-year legislative session that ended December 1, 2008, Sacramento County spent $857,855 for lobbyists and membership dues in advocacy groups to lobby the California legislature.^[3]

[edit] Open Secrets

In 2008, Sacramento County reported $300,000 spent on lobbying. ^[4]

[edit] Government expenditures

[edit] $8.3 million on wasted website

In 2003, the county hired Pennsylvania-based InfoMC Inc. at a cost of $8.3 million to implement a "fully integrated", "web-based enterprise management application" of the records of its mental health system. County officials who agreed to the contract believed they would save money in the long run by avoiding Medi-Cal payment over-runs.

As of February 2009, there is nothing to show for the expense. The project was to have been completed by the end of 2005.

The county faces a $55 million general fund shortfall in 2009 as the California state budget struggles, and mental health providers throughout the county face the lose of their funding.^[5]

[edit] External links

Sacramento County

• Sacramento County
• Sacramento County Sheriff
• Sacramento County Superior Court
• Sacramento County on E-Reference
• Communities and Cities of Sacramento County
• Sacramento County Superior Court of California
• Sacramento County on Wikipedia

[edit] References

1. ↑ Taxes
2. ↑ Permits and Zoning
3. ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Local government lobbying costs soar in California", February 10, 2009
4. ↑ Open Secrets record of Sacramento County lobbying expenses
5. ↑ Sacramento Bee, "County pays $8.3 million for database that never was", February 19, 2009

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