“We just want to see the receipts. We just want to see the receipts,” the news anchors of Sacramento television station KCRA kept saying.

They were joining in the fray after their colleague feisty investigative reporter Ashley Zavala concluded her latest deep dive into the years of “No comment” from California legislative leaders over the actual cost to taxpayers of a mammoth new office wing at the state Capitol.

It’s TV news in our state the way it used to be back when there were lots of cranky consumer-friendly reporters nailing car dealerships for peddling lemons, and the like.

Only it’s not about getting better bang for the buck in stores and on auto lots. It’s reporting that asks for more transparency about exactly what kind of bill Californians are getting for the privilege of bu

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