Keep reading for today’s look at #OpenGov news, events, and analysis including plenty of IG news, owning big data, and judicial elections. 

National News

• The Inspector General for the Department of the Interior runs an active shop, but doesn’t publicly release very many of its reports. Out of 475 closed investigations last year, only three public reports were released. (EE News)
• The Department of Energy’s IG, one of the longest tenured in the Federal government, sat down with the Washington Post to talk about his process. (Washington Post)
• Billionares like Tom Steyer and the Koch brother’s are taking advantage of lax campaign finance laws to set up their own, party like structures to influence elections and policy. (New York Times)
• A surprise inspection targeted the General Services Administration’s move towards open and flexible office layouts. The agency’s IG found that procedures to secure sensitive and confidential documents and property have not been adequately followed. (Government Executive)

International

• Big data and in the “internet of things” will not be able to fulfill its potential without clear rules about who owns and controls data. An MIT professor has proposed a “New Deal on Data” to address this issue. (Harvard Business Review)

State and Local News

• Court elections in varying states are turning judges into partisan political warriors fueled by big money.  (National Journal)

Events This Week

•  Transparency, Coherence, and Authority at the Court of Justice of the European Union. Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Mon. 10/20. 12:30 – 2:00 pm. SAIS, Bernstein-Offit Building, Room 714, 1717 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC.
• An Evening Not to be Forgotten. The Communication, Culture, and Technology MA Graduate Program at Georgetown University. Mon. 10/20. 5:00 – 6:30 pm. Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh Memorial Building, Room 495, 1221 36th Street NW, Washington, DC 20057.
• Unaccountable: How elite power brokers corrupt our finances, freedom, and security. New America Foundation. Tues. 10/21. 12:15 – 1:45 pm. 1899 L Stret NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036.
• Corruption, Crime, and Terrorism. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Wed. 10/22. 3:00 – 4:00 pm. 1770 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Do you want to track transparency news? You can follow the progress of relevant bills, court cases, and regulations using Scout. You can also get Today in #OpenGov sent directly to your preferred news reader. If you would like suggest an event, please email mrumsey@sunlightfoundation.com by 7 am on the Monday prior to the event.