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For anyone who wanted to see how much a Fire Captain has made, how much Los Angeles has paid Verizon or how much in business taxes the city has made, happy birthday.
L.A. city controller Ron Galperin published all of the city's financial numbers online on ControlPanelLA.
"The public will have, for the first time, direct and centralized access to a wealth of this data,'' Galperin told City News Service. "And you can review it, search it, analyze it, download it, share it online anytime.''
Developed by Socrata, a government data software company based in Seattle, users can delve into the minutiae of every financial detail involving the city. Data can be downloaded and made into pretty chart, graphs and even software and apps.
"Most other cities are further ahead than we are on this process, but we're catching up really quickly,'' civic engagement strategist Catherine Geanuracos told CNS. "My hope is that L.A. leapfrogs ahead, takes the benefit of all the learning that's happened in other major cities and applies it here."
Happy hunting!
