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If somebody asked you to name the ten most powerful companies in the Bay Area, would you be able to do it?

We're launching an investigation of the elite social networks surrounding the biggest corporations in the Bay Area.  Using LittleSis as a research tool, we will create an interactive database detailing the channels of money and influence that sustain these companies and tie them together.

You can help by donating money or time (join the Little Sis research team)

Our research will map the key relationships:

  • Corporate interlocks via board members and top executives
  • Buying influence through PACs, lobbying, and campaign contributions
  • Revolving-door access to city, state and national government bodies
  • Executive bonuses, wasteful contracts, and regulatory violations
  • Major shareholders and bondholders
  • Funding of universities and other research institutions
  • Ties to cultural and philanthropic institutions
  • Investments in Bay Area community initiatives

How are the Bay Area's biggest companies networked into your community? How are they shaping government policy? Do they invest in public works, or in executive bonuses? Support this pitch to find out.

Follow our work on the Little Sis group page.

[Note: we're also producing a cool visualization to complement our research. The more support you give, the cooler it will be!]

Top 10 Companies in the Bay to Research [Source: SF Gate]

  1. Chevron Corp.
  2. Hewlett-Packard Co.
  3. McKesson Corp
  4. Wells Fargo & Co.
  5. Safeway Inc.
  6. Intel Corp.
  7. Cisco Systems Inc.
  8. Apple Inc.
  9. Oracle Inc.
  10. Google Inc.

How will it help?

Financial and political decisions made by Bay Area companies have a profound effect on the way we work, eat, travel, and experience our homes and communities.  Our research will detail an intricate network of noteworthy business people and government officials which can be utilized by journalists, academics, and community groups.

All funds gained from this pitch will be used exclusively for researching and reporting on Bay Area organizations and power networks.  All research will be coordinated through LittleSis.org, a free-to-use, nonprofit database for detailing the connections between powerful people and organizations.  The relevant data on LittleSis can be further developed by volunteers.

For more information, contact kyle [at] littlesis.org.

 
100% funded
  • 2 months overdue
  • 740.00 credits raised

Individual Donors

  • 740.00 credits donated to the story
  • (29 supporters)

Group Support

  • 740.00 credits donated to the story
  • (1 supporters)
  • Sara Gordon

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  • Can you take photos, help report, sift through documents and records, or contribute to reporting in some other way? If so, get in touch with the authors.

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Spot.Us is an open source project to pioneer "community powered reporting." Through Spot.Us the public can commission and participate with journalists to do reporting on important and perhaps overlooked topics. Contributions are tax deductible and we partner with news organizations to distribute content under appropriate licenses.