Today in #OpenGov 2/7/2014

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Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events and analysis including public financing, Turkish transparency, and a census of local open data.series-opengov-today

National News

  • Business groups recently launched a high profile effort to beat back the Tea Party tide in the Republican party, but they haven’t had much luck gaining momentum, or cash. Recent fundraising disclosures show that a pack of business backed super PACs was outraised on their right and their left. (Roll Call)
  • A large group of Democrats in the House of Representatives signed on to cosponsor new legislation from Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes (D) that would create a voluntary public financing system for House candidates. (Public Integrity)
  • Alex Howard shares an in depth interview that he conducted with US CIO Steven VanRoekel. Topics covered include the risks and potential of open data and digital government. (E Pluribus Unum)

International News

  • Turkey’s finance minister Mehmet Simsek spoke in favor of transparency and government reforms at a recent speech, arguing that change is necessary for political stability and economic growth. (Hurriyet Daily News)
  • The World Bank just released data about sub-national development in Indonesia. The INDO-DAPOER database marks the first time the World Bank has released a sub-national database that is publicly accessible around the world. (World Bank Blog)

State and Local News

  • Los Angeles has a new mayor who is looking to take the city into the future. To that end, Mayor Eric Garcetti, named Peter Marx, a former exec at Qualcomm, to serve as the City of Angels’ first chief innovation technology officer. (StateScoop)
  • Open Knowledge Foundation is kicking off a new problem to explore the state of local open data around the world. The Local Open Data Census is looking for folks to contribute to their project. (Open Knowledge Blog)

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