How corrupt is the state of California?

Did you get a look at Sunday's special Opinion section in this paper, spotlighting municipal malfeasance throughout Southern California?

The stuff our editorial board looks at like this: “Corruption is a plague on civil society.”

Do you agree with our conclusions, and those of the writers whose columns we ran that day?

Is corruption — politicians and their minions financially milking the system, illegally and sometimes legally, to squeeze tarnished money out of our tax dollars, plus being on the take in exchange for their votes — a problem in your community?

That's Our Question of the Week for our readers.

Do you avidly follow the news about California politicians' skulduggery? If this were a Hollywood monster movie, obviously the arrests and the convictions in Los Angeles City Hall make it the King Kong here, but what of recent corruption scandals in Anaheim, Baldwin Park, Palm Springs and San Bernardino County?

Scandals have long rocked American politics, at every level.

But is municipal corruption worse around here than it was a few decades ago? If so, what's the cause?

Do you agree — obviously a self-interested question here — that supporting local journalism is key to rooting out corruption? Do younger generations' relative disinterest in reading general-interest newspapers in the area contribute to a lack of knowledge about their city halls?

Do you think corruption comes with the territory that is government? If so, what's the best way to keep the bribery down to a dull roar? Is there even more palm-greasing and payola than has been reported? If you know of some, will you bravely drop us a note so that we can investigate it? What do you think of “soft corruption,” California politicians forming nonprofits that “behest” supporters to donate money to them? Do you agree that we have become akin to a Tammany Hall or Richard Daley's Chicago? If corruption flourishes best in a one-party state, would more independents and Republicans make a difference?

Email your thoughts to opinion@scng.com. Please include your full name and city or community of residence. Provide a daytime phone number (it will not be published).