Transparency and Accountability in Government
“The public needs to know who is being paid by whom to influence the County; they also need to know with whom their elected representatives are meeting.”
Cindy Chavez
- January 28, 2014: The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported Cindy's proposal to investigate making local candidates' contribution reports searchable on-line. Now it is too hard to track who is giving campaign money to some local candidates. Not all reports can be viewed on the Internet. Unlike with some other jurisdictions, in this County, the public must comb through ALL the reports one-by-one to find patterns of contributions by individuals and groups. Making reports searchable on-line will be another step toward bringing more transparency and accountability to the government.
- For more information on Cindy's proposal please click here.
- December 17, 2013: The Board of Supervisors unanimously directed County staff to draft Cindy's proposed Santa Clara County Lobbyist Ordinance. This Board action followed up on a proposal by Supervisor Chavez in September. County staff will bring the draft Lobbyist Ordinance back to the Board of Supervisors for final approval in 2014.
- For more information on Cindy's proposal and a transcript of the Board discussion on the item please click here.
- To read the San Jose Mercury News editorial supporting Cindy's reforms please click here.
- September 10, 2013: Cindy's proposal for all supervisor's to provide public access to their calendars is approved by the Board of Supervisors.
- For more information on Cindy's proposal and a transcript of the Board discussion on the item please click here.
- To view Cindy's public calendar please click here.