A measure by state Sen. Scott Wilk seeking to add transparency to all levels of government has cleared its first legislative hurdle after it passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee with a 14-0 vote.
“This week is Sunshine Week, a national celebration of the importance of transparency and accountability in government,” Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, said in a news release about Senate Bill 53, which is intended to close a loophole that allows state agencies to skirt the spirit of transparency laws.
“This measure is about ensuring the public has access to government at every level,” Wilk said, adding, “Government should operate in complete transparency and it does not. It is complete hypocrisy that the state has required more rigid standards for local government than it does for itself.”
After passing through the Governmental Organization Committee, SB 53 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee to review its fiscal impact.