How the Wire works
The Martinez Wire is a free weekly email for Martinez, California, and this website, both read from public records.
Where it comes from
Public records and public feeds
The Wire starts at city hall. It reads the City of Martinez's own documents: council agendas, the official minutes, meeting video and, when the city publishes it, the list of checks the city wrote. Around them sit the police departments' public logs, the Weather Service, fire agencies, local event calendars and newsrooms, and gas prices as drivers report them.
Every number comes from a public record, and every item links to where it came from, so you can check it yourself. The Sources page lists all 36 of them, each with when it was last checked.
How often it is read
Every morning, and through the day
The website is rebuilt every morning and read again at 9:00 AM, noon, 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Gas prices are read once each morning. Every dataset says when it was last checked, and it is as fresh as that stamp, and no fresher.
The letter arrives free every Wednesday at 7:00 AM.
Who writes it
Built from the source data
There is no editor: the Wire is built from the source data itself. It copies each figure exactly as its source prints it. It never alleges: it puts two facts side by side, and what they mean is yours to decide. No ads, nothing to sell.
The grades
A councilmember's grade
On City hall, each councilmember carries a grade from A to F. The Wire's algorithm checks each of their campaign promises against their record in office, the same way for everyone. The method, the arithmetic and every source are under “How the grading works” on each member's profile.
Corrections
When something is wrong
Tell the Wire with Ask the Wire or the Tip line at the foot of every page, or reply to any issue. Every correction is listed with its date.