2Day in #OpenGov 4/4/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Los Angeles’ long awaited 311 app arrived on April 1. The free mobile app allows Los Angelenos to submit service requests, locate city services, and pay bills. (Gov Tech)
- Air shows, which provide summer time entertainment around the country, were hit hard by the sequester. Now, a trade group representing the shows is fighting back with some lobbyist firepower. The International Council of Air Shows, inc. recently hired Van Scoyoc Associates to work on its behalf, the first time the organization has ever contracted lobbyists. (Public Integrity)
- Iceland’s innovative crowd-sourced constitution may be in its final days. Last fall, the document was sent to Iceland’s parliament for review, but that parliament was dissolved last week in preparation for new elections on April 27. The constitution is scheduled for a referendum after April’s elections, but it faces a relatively high bar for passage. (Tech President)
- President Obama took a stroll down Billionaires Row last night to raise money for the DCCC. He swung by the homes of billionaires Tom Steyer and Ann and Gordon Getty for high dollar fundraisers expected to pull in several million dollars. (POLITICO)
- Mary Schapiro and Lanny Bruer, respectively the outgoing heads of the SEC and DOJ’s criminal division, failed to win major civil or criminal actions against any Wall Street executives involved in the financial collapse. Both are now leaving the administration to take jobs at firms that rely on Wall Street for much of their income. (National Journal)
RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:
- None.
HAPPENING TODAY 4/4:
- Ukraine’s Troubled Media: Prospects for the country’s democratic future. NED. 4:30 pm. National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004.
HAPPENING TOMORROW 4/5:
- Simpler: The future of government. Brookings. 10:00 – 11:30 am. 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Falk Auditorium, Washington, DC 20036.
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