Volunteer-built transparency platform analyzes more than $2 trillion in California financial activity – exposing how a small independent team accomplished in under two weeks what Sacramento failed to deliver after nearly two decades and over $1 billion in taxpayer spending
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / May 12, 2026 / Herb W. Morgan, candidate for California State Controller, today announced the release of Version 2.0 of California Radical Transparency (CRT), a working prototype designed to demonstrate what genuine, modern fiscal accountability could look like in California government.
The volunteer-built platform analyzes publicly available FI$Cal data and transforms more than 122 million underlying financial records – representing approximately $2 trillion in total financial movement – into searchable, source-linked insights intended to help Californians better understand where taxpayer money is flowing and where transparency breaks down.
The prototype is available at: CaliforniaRadicalTransparency.com
Built in less than two full-time work weeks, CRT Version 2.0 delivers a level of usability, analytical clarity, and public-facing transparency that sharply contrasts with California’s existing FI$Cal infrastructure – a system that has consumed more than $1 billion in taxpayer funding over nearly 20 years while continuing to face reporting delays, fragmented visibility, and ongoing accountability concerns.
CRT proves that California’s financial systems were never too complicated for the public to understand – only too opaque by design – and we’ve finally cracked the code, transforming billions in government spending into information that everyday Californians can actually follow.
“California taxpayers were promised transparency,” Morgan said. “Instead, they received delays, cost overruns, and systems so difficult to navigate that meaningful public oversight remains limited. This prototype proves modern transparency does not require another billion-dollar bureaucracy.”
The underlying data warehouse is fully developed for every agency represented in the FI$Cal dataset and includes:
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Source-linked financial analysis
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Evidence classifications (official, curated, generated, or missing)
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Primary-source references and contextual explanations
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Pass-through and grant-flow visibility
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Public-facing summaries designed for everyday Californians, journalists, and oversight bodies
CRT Version 2.0 also highlights several major shortcomings in California’s current financial transparency systems, including:
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Chronic missed deadlines and project overruns spanning nearly two decades
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Months-long public reporting delays that hinder effective oversight
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Massive taxpayer expenditures with limited public usability
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Fragmented financial visibility across agencies and pass-through entities
Among the platform’s early findings:
“CONFIDENTIAL” Payees in Major Recycling Programs
Within CalRecycle-related records, CRT identified billions of dollars in transactions associated with programs where recipient information is publicly labeled “CONFIDENTIAL,” including substantial activity tied to California’s Beverage Container Recycling Fund.
While portions of this confidentiality may be authorized under existing statutes, Morgan argues the scale of the opacity raises serious public accountability concerns.
“When billions of dollars move through government systems without visible recipients, Californians have a right to ask questions,” Morgan said.
Morgan stated that CRT Version 2.0 is only an early demonstration of what could be achieved under a fully modernized Controller’s Office.
When elected, Morgan plans to pursue a next-generation financial transparency platform capable of:
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Real-time or near real-time financial reporting
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Contract-level spending visibility
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AI-assisted anomaly detection
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Searchable grant and vendor relationship mapping
“This did not require another billion-dollar consulting contract,” Morgan said. “We built this on a home PC in two weeks.”
Morgan invites journalists, watchdog organizations, independent analysts, and California residents to review the platform directly and evaluate both the findings and the limitations of California’s current systems for themselves.
California taxpayers spent more than $1 billion over nearly two decades on FI$Cal, backed by thousands of government employees and layers of bureaucracy – yet a small volunteer team working with Herb Morgan built a functional transparency prototype that helps ordinary Californians actually follow the money.
This is why Californians are rallying behind Herb Morgan’s vision for real, radical transparency – because taxpayers deserve a government that is finally accountable to the people funding it.
About Herb W. Morgan | X: @Herb4Controller
Herb W. Morgan is a San Diego-based businessman, fiscal watchdog, and candidate for California State Controller. As the innovator behind California Radical Transparency (CRT), an initiative focused on delivering modern, decision-grade fiscal accountability and public oversight across California government, Morgan’s campaign is centered on restoring honest, independent oversight of California’s finances, exposing waste, fraud, and abuse, and ensuring every taxpayer dollar is transparently accounted for.
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SOURCE: Herb Morgan for California State Controller 2026
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