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California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

propublica.org

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Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#11

Post by dmix »

Nice to see the US slowly learn to grift on a whole new scale.

[1] Even AOC (who ironically also pushes for ton s of these grifting opportunities via her party).

> This is why Congress needs time to actually read this package before voting on it.

> Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours.

> This isn’t governance. It’s hostage-taking.

--- [1] https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1341145260014100480

6000 page bills rubber-stamped by congress. No wonder congress constantly ranks way below presidencies and other agencies in polls (like only 20% think congress does a good job, way lower than the useless president of past).

But look no further from there (super bureaucratic) India if really want even more gifting the US (F35 is the classic exa). And getting some anti-grifters to expose it (they starting get serious about corruption late 2000a).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yadav_Singh_corruption_cas

This one is a good example where his job was a random "Land clearing" engineer took tribes for illegal real estate developments and had tens of millionaires in USD in their coil.

They find top good end jobs (sometimes unqualified) and rake it in. There's probably worth starting an FBI groups to see congress and senators that have property well beyond their salary.

Plenty of examples from india:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-33984185

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/05/10/527803742/epis...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_in_India?oldf...

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/D._K._Shivakumar#/Controversies_...

We need similar anti-corruption bills (or at least rankings) task forces to investigate congress and the multi thousand page documented.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#12

Post by js2 »

dmix wrote: post #11

Nice to see the US slowly learn to grift on a whole new scale. [1] Even AOC (who ironically also pushes for ton s of these grifting opportunities via her party). > This is why Congress needs time to actually read this package before voting on it. > Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours. > This isn’t governance. It’s h…

My reading of the article is Hanlon's razor (“don’t attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”), not corruption/grift.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#13

Post by tomcam »

dmix wrote: post #11

Nice to see the US slowly learn to grift on a whole new scale. [1] Even AOC (who ironically also pushes for ton s of these grifting opportunities via her party). > This is why Congress needs time to actually read this package before voting on it. > Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours. > This isn’t governance. It’s h…

That’s an offensive comparison. I believe it is clear that the US is by far the world leader in bureaucratic grifting.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#14

Post by jasonboyd »

js2 wrote: post #6
boomboomsubban wrote: post #2

Call me cynical, but Stebbins likely faces a decade long legal battle which shell very likely end up settling to be done with it, the board members will get even better jobs in or out of government, and the $200 million will remain missing. Yknow, justice.

She uncovers incompetence and gets fired. The article makes no allegations that she stepped on Newsom's toes, but it sure seems like it. She deserves a medal, not to be fired. The article doesn't say who hired her in the first place, just: > Stebbins was hired as the agency’s executive director in February 2018 to bring fresh scrutiny to its finances and operations. Who hired her? Also: > “I find this outrageous!” Ba…

> "I can count on zero fingers the number of times I've used an exclamation mark professionally."

I feel self conscious now.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#15

Post by CyberDildonics »

hliyan wrote: post #7
boomboomsubban wrote: post #2

Call me cynical, but Stebbins likely faces a decade long legal battle which shell very likely end up settling to be done with it, the board members will get even better jobs in or out of government, and the $200 million will remain missing. Yknow, justice.

What you say will probably come to pass, but this sort of cynical, fatalistic attitude is part of the problem.

It is not part of the problem, it is a symptom of it.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#16

Post by rangoon626 »

Between this and the "pork" that was recently scrutinized, I am completely disgusted that local, state and federal government thinks that they have a blank check care of tax payers. Of course it's been this way forever, but this is getting out of hand.

200m missing, and the state is having massive forest fires, electrical outages and way too many people living in tent cities.

What an absolutely disgusting waste.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#17

Post by rangoon626 »

xxxnnn123 wrote: post #10

Oracle, Tesla and many other companies already left the state. Good luck raising taxes even further, Cali! Texans will be very thankful to you for all the companies that now paying taxes and creating new jobs in Texas .

Wrecked a beautiful state

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#19

Post by SpicyLemonZest »

hh3k0 wrote: post #8

> In response to detailed questions, commission spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said that Stebbins’ allegation of $200 million in missing fines and fees was the result of a misunderstanding of the commission’s accounting practices. A misunderstanding of accounting practices?

Like in many accounting controversies, the fundamental problem here is how to account for future expectations. If you’re owed a big sum of money but you know for sure payment is coming soon, your accounting statements should show you as much wealthier than the actual money you have on hand, because receiving a payment you already knew you’d get shouldn’t change how you measure your financial status. The commission says that’s all that’s happening here and the “missing” money will come in over the next year, while Stebbins says they have no reason to expect this and aren’t actually keeping track.

Re: California Public Utilities Commission fired director who exposed missing $200M

#20

Post by legulere »

Justin_K wrote: post #18

The sad part is that CA remains a one party state and this will just get swept under the rug. The power is too unchecked.

As a European I ask myself why there’s no proportional voting system at all in the US. The states should be independent enough to introduce one for themselves, and there are also referendums.
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