Investigative Library

Public-interest investigations with evidence trails

Browse published patterns, filter by focus area, and create investigation prompts to kick off deeper analysis.

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Budget • Vendors • Contracts

priority

Why did consulting spend rise sharply across three fiscal cycles?

Compares budget category shifts, contract amendments, and payment concentration in consulting-related accounts.

Irvine + Newport Beach • Budgets, payments, contracts • 9 min read

Vendors • Contracts • Payments

review

Which paving vendors repeatedly won municipal work?

Tracks recurring awards, department overlap, and amendment frequency in road and public works contracts.

Santa Ana • Contracts, vendors, payments • 7 min read

Payments • Cross-city

priority

Where are payments clustering below review thresholds?

Surfaces threshold-adjacent transaction clusters by vendor and department with source-linked records.

Orange County sample • Payments, ledgers • 8 min read

Budget • Cross-city

monitor

Which departments exceeded projections the most?

Compares allocated vs actual trends and highlights repeated overruns requiring administrative explanation.

Cross-city • Budgets, financial reports • 6 min read

Prompt Builder

Compose a targeted investigation request

Investigate consulting spend shifts in Santa Ana over last 3 fiscal years. Return key anomalies, confidence context, and source evidence links.