Did Incumbent Democrat Schaefer give $30K to buy Republican support?
When scandal engulfs a party’s endorsed candidate, questions naturally arise where that party draws the line for stripping an...
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Nov. 13, 2022 – Vol. 3, Issue 5
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Jeff Burdick
- Jun 9
Time for new Constitutional amendments? History says ‘yes’
Quick quiz: Last month marked the 30th anniversary of the most recent U.S. Constitutional amendment. What was it? Answer: The...
Jeff Burdick
- May 16
After SactoPolitico probes, US House members change fundraising tactic; donor refunded $1,000
“Accountability journalism” strives to hold individuals – usually the powerful – accountable for activities that, while legal, may...
Jeff Burdick
- Apr 26
Midterm checkup: How healthy is California democracy?
Maintaining a healthy democracy is like maintaining a healthy body. Regular attention and checkups are required. Fortunately, each...
Jeff Burdick
- Apr 12
Q&A: California State Lobbying with Chris Micheli
Last month, veteran Sacramento lobbyist and law professor Chris Micheli published a unique collection of 49 essays by current and former...
Jeff Burdick
- Feb 21
As Dems criticize Covid misinformation, many take Fox Corp. money
This article is part of SactoPolitico.com’s ongoing “Shame of Our Campaigns” series. For past pieces in the series, click here. Nothing...
Jeff Burdick
- Dec 15, 2021
Year-in-Review: Our 10 best political articles of 2021
Foremost, 2021 will be remembered as the second year of the Covid-19 Pandemic, but it was also an extremely busy year in politics –...
Jeff Burdick
- Oct 24, 2021
Q3 fundraising winner: political industrial complex
At the federal level, the term “campaign fundraising” is a partial misnomer. That’s because the majority of such funds does little to run...
Jeff Burdick
- Sep 30, 2021
Why CA bill to protect donors from online scam failed
A major challenge for achieving effective governance involves shrinking newsrooms. As far less about government gets covered, citizens...
Jeff Burdick
- Aug 11, 2021
4 House Republicans using deceptive fundraising trick
The standard official portrait poses members of Congress like patriots in front of a U.S. flag. But with four House members from...
Jeff Burdick
- Jul 29, 2021
Dizzying by design: Valadao’s complicated fundraising
Last week, The New Republic published the results of my four-month investigation into widespread use of a previously obscure campaign...
Jeff Burdick
- Jul 29, 2021
Living ‘DaVita’ loca: Federal charges shame no pols
On July 15, the U.S. Justice Department announced the latest in a long string of indictments against the giant dialysis company DaVita...
Jeff Burdick
- Jun 28, 2021
OpenSecrets’ Sheila Krumholz on campaign finance reform
Last month, the two leading watchdogs of U.S. political fundraising announced their merger. The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) is...
Jeff Burdick
- Jun 10, 2021
SEIU’s Richard Louis Brown on being agent of change
Later this month, California state employee Richard Louis Brown will be sworn in as president of SEIU Local 1000 after upsetting longtime...
Jeff Burdick
- May 17, 2021
Former US Rep. Waxman on history of leadership PACs
Henry Waxman served 40 years as a Democratic Congressman for Los Angeles. From 1975 to 2015, he carved a memorable legacy in health care....
Jeff Burdick
- May 17, 2021
HBO doc ties corporate/political greed to opioid crisis
Documentarian Alex Gibney opens his latest film “The Crime of the Century” in predawn darkness. (See trailer.) Members of a police...
Jeff Burdick
- Mar 31, 2021
Former FEC Chair Ravel on recall donations, dark money
While sitting on board of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) from 2013 to 2017 – including one stint as chair – native Californian Ann...
Jeff Burdick
- Feb 23, 2021
Matsui, Bera letting public foot opioid settlements
The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post recently reported that four major opioid makers and distributors are close to finalizing a...
Jeff Burdick
- Feb 23, 2021
Fine(d) Bedfellows, Part 2: Where we go from here
This is the second of two articles in a series. Click here for part one. Last issue, a Sacto Politico study detailed the tens of millions...
Jeff Burdick
- Feb 5, 2021
Fine(d) Bedfellows Pt. 1: Worst corporations donate big
This article is part one of two, and part of Sacto Politico’s ongoing “Shame of Our Campaigns” series. For other articles in the series,...