As former Sen. Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's pick for secretary of defense, faces a Senate confirmation hearing today, he's under online attack from a group that's previously been criticized for a "mostly false" TV ad and "laughably bogus" polling. Though the group, Secure America Now, doesn't disclose its donors, and has yet to file a full year's tax return for either of its non-profit arms, Sunlight has learned it is run by a longtime political aide to Ronald Lauder, a cosmetics heir who has become a patron of Jewish causes and Republican candidates.
Temporary Massachusetts senator an active political donor
William Cowan, a Massachusetts lawyer who will take John Kerry's place in the Senate until a special election can be held to replace the Bay State Democrat, about to become the next secretary of state, has donated more than $36,000 to candidates for state and federal office, according to data downloaded from Sunlight's Influence Explorer.
All of the recipients of Cowan's largesse were Democrats with two notable exceptions: In 2002, he made a donation of $200 to Republican Mitt Romney. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee was then running what would turn out to be a successful ...
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/30/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- While Uruguay became a regional leader with their 2008 FOI law citizens were not taking advantage of the new rights. www.quesabes.org makes it easier for citizens to make FOI requests. (Tech President)
- New York Mayor, and billionaire, Michael Bloomberg has beefed up his presence in Washington over the past two years, increasingly engaging on issues from guns to infrastructure. He has used a combination of New York's lobbying office, his own voice, and outside lobbying groups hired by organizations that he has helped create. (Politico)
- Rep. Ed Markey, who is running to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat left vacant by John Kerry's appointment to lead the State department, is taking a page from the playbook of fellow Bay State politician, and potential rival, Scott brown by pledging to try and keep outside money out of the race. (Politico)
- Chicago is expanding their 311 system in an attempt to reach wider audiences. As a component of the cities Open311 system users can now access features via text message. (Government Technology)
- The US Government requested more user information from Twitter in 2012 than in 2011, the first year the company tracked such requests. Twitter claims it requires a search warrant before granting access. (The Hill)
- Opinion: Imposing a tax on moves through the revolving door might dissuade the practice. (USA Today)
Gun lobby has some chits to collect on Judiciary Committee
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When National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre faces the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning in the first congressional hearing about gun control since the last month's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, he'll be facing lawmakers who have strong feelings about his organization. Some of them have reason to feel grateful for the NRA's financial support; others have reason to resent its opposition.
Other witnesses scheduled to testify include Mark ...
Continue readingHow MuniLand Sees Cities
As part of our municipal work here at Sunlight, we're inviting various people to share their take on what makes a city and why transparency at this level is important. Today's post is from Cate Long, a guest contributor to Reuters.com on the municipal bond market. By Cate Long Alisha Green of Sunlight Foundation is working on a project to identify the ways that different types of data are used to describe cities. She put up a great post that sketches out a number of ways to view a city demographically, including population density, unemployment and housing. She asked me recently to write about how I personally view cities. I think of cities almost entirely as cash flow machines that collect taxes and provide social services. That is muniland. Here are Alisha’s questions and my answers: 1. From your point of view, what is a city? Cities are legal entities that are incorporated to provide essential services; especially police, fire, education and water and sewer systems. Depending on the state, cities have legal authority to enter contracts, collect specific types of taxes and maintain judicial systems. Many cities also provide more expansive social services including care of the elderly and disabled and maintenance of parks and hospitals.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 1/29/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Data.gov, with help from a team of Presidential Innovation Fellows, is getting a citizen friendly redesign that will highlight how open data resources are already being used in the private sector. The new approach can be seen at alpa.data.gov (Fed Scoop)
- Samsung is revving up its lobbying operation to go along with its move to the front in the smartphone wars. The South Korean company spent around $800,000 on lobbying last year, more than in any previous year. (Politico)
- While speculation continues swirl about Hillary Clinton's plans for the 2016 presidential race, multiple PACs have sprung up to support her when, and if, she decides to run. (Public Integrity)
- Despite losing her lucrative gig at Fox News, Sarah Palin still has an avenue to push her political agenda. Her super PAC has over $1 million in the bank. Most powerful PACs keep smaller amounts of cash on hand unless preparing for a campaign push. (Public Integrity)
- The FDA recently turned to table technology to improve its data collection. The new system helps streamline farm safety inspections, allowing for instant reporting of issues. (Government Technology)
- After a local open government group filed a FOIA suit the Washington, DC Council changed its rules to ensure that council members and staff cannot avoid the FOIA by doing business on their personal emails. (NFOIC)
Another delay in ethics probes of Reps. Schock, Owens
Thanks to a parliamentary quirk and a slow start getting organized, the House Ethics Committee will not be releasing information today about the ethics probes into two members of Congress.
Continue readingNew members of the 113th: What they own and whom they owe
Even before he was elected last November to represent Chicago's southern exurbs in the House, Illinois Democrat Bill Foster decided to sell his stake in Electronic Theatre Controls, a company he founded with his brother. Foster jettisoned the shares -- worth at least $5 million -- "to minimize potential conflicts of interest when voting on legislation that might impact his personal finances," according to his press secretary.
Among this year's congressional freshmen, Foster stands out as a noteworthy exception.
Now that President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities are over and the 113th Congress is getting down to serious business, Sunlight ...
Continue reading18 New Ways of Visualizing A City
The way we visualize and compare cities says much about our understanding of how they work. As part of our ongoing exploration of what makes a city, we wanted to survey how people are using data to describe the political, geographical and social realities cities face. Below, we've compiled some unique visualizations. Some of these center around cities in the common sense of the word, focusing on large urban areas, but we think these images as a group help expand the understanding of the diversity of all kinds of municipalities. We aren't demographers, but we aren't working in a vacuum, either. As we continue to engage in open data work, we hope to contribute to the kind of information that powers these visuals and help create the resources for the next wave of municipal understanding.
POPULATION DENSITY
1. This 2010 U.S. Census map, from a report about population change, shows population-weighted density by metropolitan statistical area. That's a complicated way of essentially saying the map shows how tightly packed people are on average in metropolitan areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The map shows how people generally are more condensed in metropolitan areas along the East and West coasts than they are in metropolitan areas in the middle of the country.
Continue reading
2Day in #OpenGov 1/28/2013
NEWS ROUNDUP:
- Libya is backing off earlier pledges to deliver greater transparency and will not reveal details of its oil sales this year. New Libyan leadership had initially promised more transparency after widespread corruption in the pre-revolutionary government. (Trust Law)
- Many of K Street's biggest firms saw revenues fall in 2012, but some smaller shops are bucking the trend and snagging new clients. (The Hill)
- Dark money groups have turned their attentions, and wallets, towards defeating Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee to lead the defense department. (New York Times)
- Many senior aides on Capitol Hill that work on energy and environmental issues have departed their positions in recent months, citing the partisan gridlock. (National Journal)
- Google's flu data has captivated many this season, but it is only one of a variety of systems tracking flue trends. (National Journal)
- A three year old task to evaluate 361 million pages of classified documents to determine which could be released to the public has been completed, according the the National Archives and Records Administration. 90 million historical pages have been released or reclassified. (Government Executive)
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