Draper, backer of Six Californias, funds government transparency

Tim Draper wants to make California county governments more transparent — and the venture capitalist said Wednesday that he will spend up to $500,000 to make it happen.

Draper’s nonprofit, Innovate Your State, will provide a year’s subscription to the first California counties that subscribe to OpenGov, a Redwood City startup that creates visualizations of financial data and provides analysis software for local governments.

A breakdown of each department’s budget shows up on OpenGov, making it easier for the public to look in on financial priorities.

The platform “ allows you not just to see how much has been spent on police, but how much they spend on dogs ... and you know exactly how that budget was spent,” Draper said.

In 2000, the venture capitalist ponied up $20 million to back a ballot measure on school vouchers (it failed).

Draper, who comes from a family of venture capitalists, founded Draper University, an unaccredited entrepreneurship school in San Mateo, and late last year started recruiting young entrepreneurs for his own Draper U-focused reality TV show.

About a dozen of California’s 58 counties, including Marin, Riverside and Ventura, already use OpenGov, said Zac Bookman, the company’s chief executive officer.

Some of the other proposals submitted to the challenge would give virtual California citizenship to talented foreign nationals and put an expiration date on all state legislation.