Web surfers probably know what it’s like to find a great website, only to discover that the information on the San Joaquin Valley is scant or suspiciously presented.
Did a robot do this? Did someone in Montana write this “local” piece?
Well we at Valley Notebook want to feature national websites that DO make sense for the San Joaquin Valley, or at least provide worthwhile content.
Fortune 535, a project released this week from the Sunlight Foundation, provides the public with an easy way to search congress’ personal net worth.
Some data we found about three local congressmen (Devin, George and Jim) according to Fortune 535:
- Jim Costa blows his three club-mates out of the water with an avg. net worth of $3.5 million in 2006.
- George Radanovich’s 2006 avg. net worth comes in at a respectable $331,000.
- Devin Nunes‘ 2006 avg. net worth is nothing to sneeze at at $91,002, but his net worth actually dropped after joining congress. (Hm… did his marriage have something to do with it??)
Don’t believe us? Search for yourself.
And you can also do the fun work of analyzing their research methods, the data, and even the actual financial documents themselves. The most recent PDFs of the financial documents are available. Whoever works for Devin has beautiful handwriting.
Sunlight Foundation admits themselves that the data is inscrutable and spotty. According to the submitted documents, Nancy Pelosi could either be wealthy or bankrupt, they say. They’re advocating for stricter guidelines on disclosure.
Fortune 535 also compares congress members’ wealth to the average American family’s.
(Congress wins.)
