CalAware Today

Rich McKee Memorial Cheer Gathering Set

Rich McKee's family invites fans, acquaintances or just appreciative members of the public to a memorial happy hour—Hawaiian shirts suggested but optional—at the Doubletree Hotel in Claremont from 3-7 pm on Saturday, May 7.  This informal occasion—whose style Rich would have enjoyed and insisted on—will offer all who'd care to do so an opportunity to meet with Rich's family and friends and the staff of Californians Aware to share reminiscences about Rich and how he affected their lives and lift a glass in his memory. Those too distant to attend are welcome to write a note with their own thoughts and experiences and send it to the CalAware staff—[email protected]—who will see that it's read aloud at the gathering.

What Rich McKee Meant to All of Us

Richard P. McKee, who died suddenly at his home in LaVerne this past Saturday, was 62 years old and recently retired from a chemistry teaching career at Pasadena City College. Here is some of what the newspaper obituaries may not have room to tell about all that he did in his spare time to make California's government agencies more transparent to public observation and more hospitable to citizens' informed comment.

A.G.: Officials Can't Bill Taxpayers for VIP Treats

A San Diego school superintendent with a quarter million dollar annual salary is reported to have sought—and gotten—expense reimbursements from his district for some 303 meals over a three-year period totaling $11,500, despite receiving a monthly allowance of $800 for expenses, not including a $750 per month auto allowance. This double-dipping is not unique—the president of California State University, provided with a $9,000 yearly auto allowance, recently billed the university $103 for a month's driving around town. But the question raised by the latest report is—which guests, if any, are being treated to local officials' tax-supported dining hospitality?