April 21, 2014 
ISSUE 53
Limited Seating - Register Now!
Friday May 9, 2014 
CaLBOC Statewide Conference 
Citizen's Oversight: Protecting Integrity and Value
Keynote Speaker: California State Controller John Chiang
See Below in Newsletter for More Information
Pay-to-Play | Bond Firm's Hospitality Under Review
State to Probe Dinner for School Officials
April 18, 2014 | By Ashley McGlone |  www.utsandiego.com

EXCERPT:  State ethics regulators have opened an investigation into hundreds of dinners purchased for school officials by Stone & Youngberg, an underwriter that has issued billions of dollars of bonds across California - many approved by recipients of those meals.

     The company has picked up the tab for dinners during conferences for school officials, and the state is checking to see how many meals and other gifts went unreported on mandated conflict-of-interest disclosures.

     U-T Watchdog in 2012 reported on school officials in Poway, who retroactively disclosed accepting $2,200 in Stone & Youngberg meals over five years. The officials were responding to a corruption probe in South County, where officials were being prosecuted for similar failures to disclose meals from vendors and contractors.

     In response to the Watchdog's Poway story, the California Fair Political Practices Commission has launched a statewide probe of Stone & Youngberg's hospitality, to determine whether other school districts made the same omission as Poway.

     "We opened an investigation based on the article you wrote, so we are looking at unreported gifts by Stone & Youngberg to officials," said Gary Winuk, chief of the commission's enforcement division. "The whole purpose of the law is so the public knows which public officials are receiving gifts, so they can decide for themselves how it affects doing their jobs on behalf of the public."

     Stone & Youngberg's managing director and head of public finance, Stephen Heaney, did not respond to calls and emails seeking an interview for this story.

     The pattern of giving by Stone & Youngberg may be similar to that of De La Rosa & Co. investment bankers, which was the subject of another state investigation last year. Investigators found that nearly 200 public officials failed to report De La Rosa gifts, leading to some $24,000 in fines against 97 officials. Others received warning letters.

     The De La Rosa case affected seven public officials in San Diego County. ...

     ... Generally, gifts worth $50 or more, or gifts from a single source that together total $50 must be reported on the annual Form 700. Officials may not receive gifts from a single source in excess of $440 a year.  ...

     To read the complete article, please visit:

Friday May 9, 2014 - Sacramento 
Third Annual CaLBOC Statewide Conference
Citizen's Oversight: Protecting Integrity and Value
Keynote Speaker: John Chiang, State Controller
A G E N D A:

  9:30        Registration, Coffee

         

10:00      
 Introductory Remarks

                       Michael Day, CaLBOC President 2013-14

 

10:15        Increasing Use of Long Term Debt to Pay for Short Term Costs

                        Jon Coupal, President, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

 

11:00        CaLBOC Anton Jungherr Award for Service to Citizen Oversight

                        Senator Mark Wyland,

    Vice Chair, Senate Education Committee

                        Assembly Member Joan Buchanan, 

    Chair, Assembly Education Committee

 

11:30        LUNCHCatered by Plates Catering, an outreach effort of the          

                        St. John's Shelter for Homeless Women and Children

 

12:15        Keynote Address: John Chang, California Controller

 

  1:00        Break

 

  1:15        Development and Use of a School Debt Toolbox for COEs

                        Mary Barlow, Assistant Superintendent, 

                        Kern County Office of Education          

    

  2:00        Pay-to-Play: What it is, and Why it is Wrong

                        Dan Mierzwa, Treasurer, Yuba County

                        Lori Raineri, Principal, Government Financial Strategies Inc.

 

  2:45        Closing Remarks

                        Michael Day, CaLBOC President 2013-14       

 

 Limited Seating - Register Now!  

In This Issue
CalBOC Annual Conference May 9, 2014, Sacramento
State to Probe Bond Firm's Dinners to School Officials
AGENDA - May 9, 2014 CaLBOC Conference
Archived Newsletters
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Third Annual 
CaLBOC 

Statewide Conference

 

Friday May 9th 2014

Sacramento

 

Keynote Speaker:

State Controller 

John Chiang 

 

Location:

University of California

Sacramento Center

1130 K Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

 

Individual tickets $50 

Table & Sponsorships Available  

Includes Lunch and Refreshments 

 

Register Now!

Mission Statement 

To promote school district accountability by improving the training and resources available to California's Proposition 39 School Bond Oversight Committees and educating the state legislature, local school boards and the public about the oversight and reporting powers these Citizens' Bond Oversight Committees (CBOCs) have, and to advocate on a state level, where appropriate, on issues of common concern to all CBOCs.

San Diego Grand Jury 
Sweetwater & Southwestern  - South County transcripts -
By Ricky Young  
 www.utsandiego.com
U-T Watchdog has been covering the release of grand jury transcripts in the South County corruption case brought by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis involving more than 200 charges against 15 officials and contractors at two school districts and one community college.   
Archived Newsletters 
 To view all with topics visit:

California League of Bond Oversight Committees - [email protected]