Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Tuesday stripping broad secrecy provisions from the state agency overseeing health care reform in California that gave it the power to shield from the public how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. The Democratic governor signed the bill on the same day online insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul went into business around the country. The bill was drafted after an Associated Press investigation in May revealed that the agency known as Covered California was granted broad authority to conceal spending on the contractors that will perform most of its functions.
