When the city of Davis decided to seek a new source of revenue, it tapped Target as a goal.  Never mind that Target had almost as bad a labor reputation as Wal Mart.  Never mind that they had been cited for numerous labor violations.  And never mind they had utilized sweatshops in third world countries.  Someone in the Davis leadership thought if they strapped on some green, Target would fit Davis' community values.

Well, now that will really be put to a test.  Progressives across the country have called for a boycott of the Target Corporation after revelations that the company donated $150,000 to a group that is running ads backing conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who opposes same-sex marriage.  Conservatives, you can stop reading now, and post your dissent.

With the case of the City of Bell's pay for their city manager, assistant and police chief making headlines across the state and even nationally, State Controller John Chiang Tuesday announced new reporting requirements for all California cities and counties, directing them to clearly identify elected officials and public employees’ compensation. The information will be posted on the Controller’s website, starting in November.

It took an expose by the Los Angeles Times to reveal that the city manager had received a salary of $800,000.  In addition to that the Mayor and Council got an obscure measure on the ballot that allowed council members to pay themselves any amount of money.  They received $90,000 and $100,000 a year as part-time councilmembers.

When the issue of the City of Bell first arose, it drew me in because, while the magnitude of the problem in Bell is far greater perhaps than elsewhere, it embodied a number of problems that every local community is struggling with.

One point I think that this illustrated to me, and I was not alone because I have had numerous people tell me this over the last week or two, is that the problem in Bell illustrates why we need local beat reporters.  Yesterday, this site celebrated its fourth anniversary of its founding on July 30, 2006.  I would like to believe at the very least we have made local government more cognizant of their actions.