You are browsing the archives of August 2010.

Before choosing a doctor, accountant, contractor, or other licensed professional, a good resource is the California Department of Consumer Affairs’ list of links for license verification.

California’s Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS) public search tool provides access to a searchable database of active workers’ compensation cases filed with the Worker’s Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB). The EAMS database includes active cases that are in dispute and filed as appeals with the WCAB.

In response to the recent salary scandal in Bell, California, Controller John Chiang issued an order last week requiring that all California cities and counties report taxpayer-funded salaries in more detail.

A recent New York Times article discussed what local restaurant owners think are the shortcomings of the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s updated database of restaurant inspection scores. Amidst the back and forth between Department of Health and Mental Hygiene staff and the restaurant owners over what was being disclosed is a reminder to public records researchers to always get beyond the data that is presented for searching.

A contract dispute covered recently in The National Law Journal provides another example of how otherwise non-public records can back into the public space through court proceedings.